Shadowed Roses: An Iron Shadows & Frail Flowers Prequel
by Rabbit '91
Summary: Discover how Mobius fell under King Shadow's rule and how a certain pink hedgehog recieved the unfortunate fate of being his prisoner for life. Rated M. ShadAmy
1. Prologue

**AN: Gentlemen...FEAST YOUR EYES! Yes, this is the prologue to _Iron Shadows & Frail Flowers_. See where it all began. I hope you enjoy this. No flames please, just constructive critism.**

**Disclaimer: All the characters featured in this fan fiction DO NOT belong to the author. They respectfully belong to SEGA and Archie Comics. Happy reading! :)**

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=Prologue=

20 years had passed since the old battles of the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Since Knuckles had turned to his Chaos form once again and destroyed Dr. Eggman utterly once and for all, and when Sonic had successfully restored the echidna to normal before more damage was done at the cost of losing an eye.

With the peace ultimately restored to Mobius at long last, the Freedom Fighters officially disbanded and returned to their normal lives. Sonic also rekindled his romantic relationship with the Mobian princess and de-facto leader of the former Freedom Fighters, Sally Acorn, shortly thereafter. Soon enough, the pair was wedded. To all, it wasn't the least bit surprising and highly expected. To one person in particular however, it came as a bit of a blow.

Amy Rose had returned to her birth home of Mercia after the disbanding of the Freedom Fighters to help her cousin, King Rob'O the Hedge rebuild the war-torn kingdom. Amy felt that she should aid her long lost family in this period of reconstruction. When she heard the Royal Proclamation of Sally's and Sonic's wedding, the sakura hedgehog would most certainly be lying if she said that she didn't feel the least bit heartbroken. She loved Sonic with all her heart and soul. But if being with Sally made him happy then that was enough. Amy practically lived for Sonic's happiness. After the wedding had taken place, a tragedy occurred all too soon. King Acorn finally passed away, effectively making both Sonic and Sally the King and Queen of Mobius. All of the countries had united in the capital New Mobotropolis so the new royal pair were now rulers of the whole planet. It seemed to be such a change. Everyone, including Amy, was so used to being under King Acorn's rule. Of course now Mobius couldn't be in better hands now. Amy thought things would be interesting since Sonic was now King.

Years later, life on Mobius turned out for the better. The whole planet saw a peace and tranquility that had not been seen for ages. Everyone was happy. Even Amy.

XXXXXXX

Then, after the 25 years that passed since Sonic and Sally took the throne, things remained unchanged apart from the people who of course aged with time. Most of the veteran Freedom Fighters got married and had children of their own. Amy's cousin-in-law, Mari-An, the wife of Rob'O, became pregnant with her second child, an event which cemented the cherry-pink female's stay in Mercia. She had previously thought about and considered returning to Knothole at some point, but now with another child on the way, Amy decided to permanently stay in Mercia and help with raising the little one when it was born. By this time, Amy was pretty much content and over her little heartbreak with Sonic.

Then everything suddenly changed overnight.

King Sonic had vanished into thin air while attempting to fix a problem with the time continuum and the fabric of time itself. In doing so, he was also erased from the timeline and everyone else who wasn't protected like Tails and his family dimensionally fixed to fit with the altered timeline. That was when all hell virtually broke loose. Conflict after conflict arose on Mobius in almost a fortnight. Queen Sally tried to keep things together despite a lack of Sonic. Rob'O, being the king of Mercia did everything in his power to help and support her. The world seemed to be changing in seconds.

Then, if things couldn't get any worse, Shadow the Hedgehog, also known as the Ultimate Lifeform, launched a vicious campaign to conquer the entire planet of Mobius. In a desperate, but bold and selfless move to preserve the peace, Queen Sally offered her hand and with her co-rulership of the throne to him. She secretly hoped to tame the ebony hedgehog and make him less harsh in his decisions, not knowing that her efforts would turn out to be in vain.

Thus, Shadow married Sally and became king of all Mobius after taking the throne. The world was starting to take a very dark turn...


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Just so you guys know, these chaps will start out short and they'll get longer as we go. Just so we sort that out.**

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=Chapter 1=

As soon as Shadow took the throne, he moved the capital from New Mobotropolis to a merchant city on Angel Island by the name of Portal. Many believed that he chose this particular location because he wanted to be 'above' everyone and everything else. The ebony hedgehog also began a massive crackdown on the crime rate on Mobius-which by the way, wasn't at all that high to begin with-and sent loyal spies to go out and look for any potential usurpers and/or anyone who would want to start a revolution and dethrone Shadow.

xxxxxxx

Today, Shadow reformed and reorganized the Dark Legion, also renaming it the Dark Presence with Lein-Da as his right-hand woman. They would be his eyes, ears, and perhaps the muscle if the situation ever called for it, throughout the planet. Meanwhile the Echidna Security Team(EST) would take care of the local law enforcement. In charge of them was Knuckles the Echidna. He was NOT happy with the way things were run by Shadow or the fact that Sally married him and in effect made him king. In fact, the crimson guardian was absolutely bewildered as to what the hell gave her the idea of joining forces with someone like the ebony hedgehog. But as long as he was allowed to go about his business without the Ultimate Lifeform breathing down his neck.

The next order of business for Shadow was relocating the Queen. He needed her to be 'sort of' out of the way so he could have complete control of the central government.

xxxxxxx

"You're sending me back to New Mobotropolis?"

"Yes, my Queen. It is a necessity."

Sally was a little befuddled when Shadow suddenly told her that he would have her return to the former capital. Just barely within months of settling into her new home in Portal.

"Why may I ask?" the female squirrel inquired.

"Because the county needs a leader and the populace there is much more familiar with you." Shadow explained.

The Queen frowned at that. There seemed to be something more than that. But it was royal protocol in the kingdom that the King have the final word, and as his consort, Sally would have to support him weather she personally liked it or not.

"Very well." she sighed. "I shall begin preparation then."

As the brown squirrel left the throne room, a small victorious grin appeared on Shadow's muzzle. This was all too easy. Ever since he married Sally, things were turning evermore in his favor. The entire planet was slowly coming under his control. No one could ask for anything more. Knuckles however became very angry with this arrangement. So much that he marched right up to the palace-the newly christened Castle Mobius-and demanded that the crimson-splashed monarch change his mind about the issue.

"You can't send her back to New Mobotropolis!" the ruby echidna exclaimed. "Sally needs to be _here_. It's her duty as the queen. And do you realize how much danger she could get into like that?"

"Rest assured Guardian, the Queen will be safe." Shadow replied smoothly. "New Mobotropolis is in need of a governor and the Queen is the perfect choice for the position."

Knuckles growled and slammed his fists on the desk in which Shadow sat.

"I can't accept that!" Knuckles hissed. "I _won't_ accept it!"

"Then that is your affair." Shadow simply said with a shrug. "However, my decision stands. And do try to remember who's in charge, Guardian."

The crimson male let out a growl, being ultimately defeated, and stomped out of the King's study. Shadow just passed the incident as nothing. But if Knuckles knew what was good for him and his family, he wouldn't try anything rash and stay out of the ebony hedgehog's way.

XXXXXXX

The city of Portal was starting to become a much darker place just days after Queen Sally was spirited away to New Mobotropolis in the Mainland. While the city's residents were happy to have her back, it did not ease the situation. Everyone in Portal began to live in fear under Shadow's harsh rule. The criminals-if there happened to be any-now preferred to work in places that were under the EST's jurisdiction. The EST were much softer with them than the dreaded Dark Presence. If you were caught by a legionnaire of the Dark Presence, you would be considered a dead man. Even the children suffered under King Shadow's harsh control. The schools were strictly regulated and only taught subjects that were deemed desirable by the government and the playgrounds disappeared.

In a strange turn of events, perhaps the only strange thing occurred in this hurricane of madness, Shadow made a decree that his dear, long diseased friend, Maria was to become an object of worship. It was a head scratcher of course, since there hadn't really been a concrete form of religion on Mobius since the Xorda first attacked, but people went along with it anyhow. For fear of being reprimanded by the King if they did not. Soon, statues of Maria sporting angelic wings were popping up all around the city. Shadow even had one placed in the throne room. The echidnas however, did not adapt to this and continued honoring the Ancient Walkers and the Chaos Force in secrecy.

xxxxxxx

Months later, the world was starting to turn again despite King Shadow's rule over the unfortunate lives of Portal and other cities in his control. A small upset in this was a few places forming Separatist movements and breaking from the Kingdom. This of course Shadow would not allow. Over his dead body it would. If he was to have total control over the planet, he would have to suppress these idle Separatists. But even that wouldn't come easy. After all, the Dark Presence could only do much and recruit so many potential legionnaires. As the midnight monarch fumed over this frustration another stroke of luck came to his favor.

Shadow was in the War Room overlooking a holographic map of the planet, when a Dark Presence legionnaire came in with a new report.

"Your Majesty." the soldier called out as he kneeled.

"What is it, Commander?" Shadow inquired.

"There are strange red and black creatures on the east coast of the island."

Shadow got much quieter. The way the legionnaire described these 'creatures' sounded somewhat familiar. But mind just couldn't pinpoint the time, place, or subject.

"Very well. Get me a swat team so we can investigate." the ebony hedgehog ordered.

"Yes sire!" the legionnaire replied.

A few minutes later, Shadow boarded a transport vessel with a whole team of Dark Presence troops and headed for the eastern side of the Floating Island. They arrived there in barley 10 minutes. To Shadow's shock and surprise, the mysteries turned out to be none other than Black Arms. The demonic aliens that Shadow had faced decades earlier when Black Doom, their leader, visited the planet with the intention of collecting Shadow, the seven Chaos Emeralds, and to take over the whole planet of Mobius to boot. But why these hordes of Black Doom's army were here to begin with and without their leader was the one question on Shadow's mind.

"Black Arms, what is your purpose here?" Shadow declared.

When the aliens saw him, they promptly approached him. Shadow cautiously prepared himself to fight as they moved in closer and the Dark Presence troops cocked their weapons as well. But instead of attacking, they stopped short and bowed low before the crimson-splashed monarch reverently. Shadow was certainly dumbfounded.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded.

"We no longer serve Black Doom." said one Black Arms. "His defeat has proven that cannot rule us effectively any longer. We now serve you, Shadow the Hedgehog."

The midnight monarch raised an eyebrow, a little suspicious.

"I see." he murmured. "And how do I know this is not some trick or ploy by Black Doom himself?"

"This is no trick." the Black Arms continued. "We pledge our allegiance only to you, Master Shadow."

While the Dark Presence troops were confusingly scratching their heads, a little smile appeared on Shadow's muzzle. They seemed to be telling the truth, and if this offer was truly legit, it would provide the extra muscle that Shadow would need.

"Very well. You have an opportunity to prove yourselves to me..."


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Forgive me if this seems a little bland. I had a bit of Writer's block xP. To be honest, I feel kinda weird going back and forth between this and _Cherry Blossoms_. Oh well T-T. Enjoy!**

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=Chapter 2=

Deep in the forest country of Mercia, was a kingdom ruled by Rob'O the Hedge. So far, there wasn't much change since Shadow took the throne and frankly the good citizens were really hoping it would stay that way. The best that Rob'O could do at this point was to remain ever more peaceful, diplomatically. One good thing that occurred during all this turmoil, was that Mari-An had given birth to their second child. It turned out to be a female hedgehog. Rob'O and his mate both called her, Lilly-An. Their first child, Lil' Jon was so happy to finally be a brother, being at a tender age of 14.

Amy Rose was now actually glad that she decided to stay in Mercia and not return to New Mobotropolis. Ever since Shadow came and took power, Amy thought that he was screwing things up. She didn't understand how on earth Sally would even consider taking the ebony hedgehog as a husband and making him king. Now, practically everyone on the freaking planet was fearing for their well-being, let alone their very lives. Rather than being a real good king to his people, he turning out to be a tyrant. Perhaps maybe even worse than _Eggman_ ever was. But Rob'O said it was better to just remain peaceful at this point, despite all that was happening. And perhaps he was right. Hell, things could be or could get a lot worse.

Apart from helping Mari-An raise Lilly-An, Amy also had other duties. Since Shadow came into power and with all the Separatist movements going on, food was becoming scarce and it was the sakura hedgehog's job to help gather whatever they could find in the forest or catch fish from the hatchery, or both. To be honest, Amy rather enjoyed this simple life. It quiet and peaceful. She forgot how pleasant it was staying in a forest. Maybe that was why Rob'O sent her to Knothole when Robotnik came into power ages ago. The forest always had this way of concealing its secrets. And even if it was burned to the ground, it would grow back to life eventually. Amy wondered how people were getting around in Portal. It must be terrible being under Shadow's constant watch, day in and day out. Amy didn't really too much about it, other than mentally cursing Shadow and calling him an unfeeling jerk.

'_One thing's for sure, you won't be seeing __**me**__ going back to New Mobotropolis or anywhere else anytime soon._' Amy thought to herself.

XXXXXXX

In just barely two hours in a single day, the Black Arms proved their worth and allegiance to Shadow by wiping out three of the four Separatist movements. The last one, located near Station Square and in fear of getting annihilated themselves, simply surrendered without incident or conflict. With these demonic aliens loyally under his thumb, people of Mobius didn't dare defy the King now. With the Separatists eliminated, Shadow next turned his attention on other provinces and countries that weren't fully under his control. He started first with the Wolf Tribe in the South Continent.

The Wolf Tribe in the past 25 years was still ruled by Lupe and her mate Lobo. Although much older than they were in the times of conflict with Eggman. The Tribe had been living quietly and peacefully until their homeland was invaded by the Black Arms. What followed soon after was an utter disaster. For the Wolf Tribe that is. The younger members of the Tribe didn't know whether to fight or greet these strangers. After a skirmish which resulted in some casualties, Shadow finally came to diffuse the situation. The only one among the mobian wolves who seemed to recognize him was Lupe.

"You...you're the King and Sally's husband." she rasped.

"I am." Shadow replied in an unflinching stance.

"Then...why?! Why do you attack my people?!"

"This is not an attack as you call it. Whatever occurred, happened simply because your fellow wolves decided to unwisely engage my Black Arms in battle."

Lupe suppressed a growl.

"Now then." the crimson-splashed male continued. "I suppose you'd like to know why I am here."

"Yes..." the female wolf nervously replied.

Whatever the King had to say or what he wanted, she knew it wasn't going to be good at all.

"Just to inform you and your Tribe, that you are still under the Kingdom of Mobius' rule. I will be occupying this area with a few of my Dark Presence troops and Black Arms. You may still rule over your Tribe, but to keep that position, you must answer to me first and foremost." Shadow calmly explained while crossing his arms.

Lupe suppressed another growl. She had a major dilemma on her hands.

"I would also like to advise your rivals, the Felidae, weren't as fortunate as you." Shadow added with a ominous tone.

Finally, Lupe let out a sigh of defeat. Basically, the midnight clad monarch was reducing her to a mere figurehead, but she had no other choice. If she were to refuse, Shadow would unleash those giant horrors on her people and they would end up being eliminated like the Felidae.

"Very well, we shall do as you ask." she said lowly.

Lobo and the other wolves gasped in shock and disbelief.

"My love, you cannot!" Lobo exclaimed.

"I'm afraid there's no other way, Lobo." Lupe replied in a sad voice.

"A wise decision." Shadow interjected.

With that, after earning a growl from Lobo, the ebony hedgehog turned around and left for his transport with three Dark Presence legionnaires accompanying him. Another victorious grin appeared on his muzzle.

'_Two down, one last region to go._' he mentally leered.

XXXXXXX

Amy walked back to the castle where most of the residents of her homeland were now living and holding a long string of large fishes from the hatchery. That and a sack full of vegetables and fruit she found in the forest. She later gave some of her findings to Friar Buck so he could dispense them to the needy.

"I'm home!" the cherry-pink female called out as she entered the stony palace.

But there was no answer.

"Hello? Anybody?" Amy called out again.

Still no answer. Walking down a hall she came across the old throne room and saw her cousin Rob'O talking to one of his old friends, a former Krazy Kritter Freedom Fighter. Whatever they seemed to be talking about sounded really serious. After giving the rest of her catch to the palace cook, Amy went off to find Mari-An. Perhaps maybe she knew what was going on. Amy found her in the nursery, nursing Lilly-An.

"Hi, Mari." the young flower greeted. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all, Amy." Mari-An cheerfully replied as she moved back and forth on her rocking chair.

"So what's Rob'O and that other guy talking about?"

"I'm not certain. But it seems to be important because he sent me out of the room."

"Is it bad?"

"As I said, I'm not certain."

Amy let out a whine. She kicked off her boots and flopped into a nearby chair.

"It's probably about that jerk Shadow." Amy ranted. "Things were so much nicer before _he_ came. I mean seriously, does he really have to make everyone's lives so miserable?!"

"I know the future looks bleak, my dear." the female echidna said. "But at least we're all still together. That's the important thing."

Amy was quiet. Mari-An was right of course. They were lucky enough to have each other for support during this dark period.

"Well, at least Shadow's not turning everyone into robots." Amy cracked.

The two ladies shared a heartfelt laugh at the joke.

XXXXXXX

Meanwhile at Portal, Shadow was back inside the War Room looking over his holographic map of the planet. So far, about 90% of Mobius was under his rule. More and more countries and provinces were starting to raise flags bearing his symbol. Normally, this would make any conqueror the happiest being in the universe. But not Shadow. He still wasn't satisfied, and he wouldn't be until the _entire_ planet was his to rule. In the War Room with him, was a Dark Presence general and Lein-Da.

"We have two units of Dark Presence and Black Arms patrolling the northern, southern, and eastern continents." the general informed the ebony hedgehog.

Shadow narrowed his blood-red eyes. He looked as if he wasn't impressed with the progress of his conquest at all.

"Prepare more units for the Western Continent." he bluntly ordered. "We invade before the month is over."

The general gave a pause.

"There's only one major country there, sire." he replied. "Do you really need the entire continent?"

The crimson-splashed monarch gave him a low and irritated stare. A glance that spelled imminent doom.

"Forgive me, your majesty. I spoke out of turn." the general said, lowering his head a little.

He then gathered up the battle plans and left the room without another word. Lein-Da and Shadow stared at him as the high-ranking soldier left.

"You'll have to excuse him, my king." Lein-Da said. "He doesn't have your great optimism."

"If he should question my authority again, I want him disposed of." Shadow hissed. "I have no use for unwilling and uncooperative soldiers."

"As you wish, sire."

"What major country is in the western continent?"

"The Kingdom of Mercia, my king. Its current sovereign is Rob'O the Hedge."

"I see. In that case, I shall have to _personally_ pay him a visit."

XXXXXXX

That night, Amy was in her room getting ready for bed. Before she turned in, she gathered up her dirty laundry and took it to laundry room so it would get cleaned in the morning. On her way there, Amy passed by the nursery. She noticed the door was ajar and saw Rob'O and Mari-An inside. Rob'O was rocking his infant daughter to sleep while Mari-An hummed a lullaby. The sakura hedgehog hid behind the door so she could overhear what they were saying.

"I'm very worried, my love." Rob'O said in a grave voice. "That bloody conquest that King Shadow is staging is spreading fear and calamity everywhere. And the worst of it is that we may be next."

"I fear Amy might be right." Mari-An commented. "This king is turning out to be far worse than Robotnik ever was. What more can the wretched man possibly want?"

Amy didn't want to hear anymore. This whole issue was making her upset. She mentally cursed the king as she continued on her way down the hall.

'_Damn you, Shadow. You're just pure evil. I hope you rot in hell..._'


	4. Chapter 3

**An: Sorry if this is short, but basically, it's a sort of repeat of Chapter 9 from _Iron Shadows & Frail Flowers: Book II_. It will be continued in the next chappie ;)**

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=Chapter 3=

In the early morning hours. King Shadow was up and about, preparing an invasion army. The past year and 6 months proved to be very prosperous for him. Even better, the Black Arms gave the ebony hedgehog unflinching loyalty. Shadow often wished his Dark Presence could be as perfect as them. But no matter, as long as his orders were being obeyed and followed correctly by both armies, there wasn't much that Shadow could complain about.

As he went about the main hanger of the palace to supervise the last minute preparations for the invasion, Lein-Da approached him with her final report.

"All Dark Presence troopers are armed and ready at your expense, sire." she said, handing the monarch an electronic tablet.

"Excellent." Shadow replied, after reading it.

"Also, the Black Arms are at their stations, standing by for orders."

"Very good. If all goes well, we can be back here in half hour."

The female echidna grinned at the crimson-splashed male's little crack.

"Prepare my transport, I want to be on my way by the time dawn hits Mercia." he ordered.

"As you wish, my king." Lein-Da obediently replied.

XXXXXXX

Amy awoke slowly that morning. Already something didn't feel right. It was just like any other day. Nothing different or new. But the sakura hedgehog just knew, deep in the back of her head, that today was not going to turn out well. She dragged herself out of bed and got dressed in a green dress and tan boots. The castle was very quiet this morning, but then it was kinda always like that since there weren't many people actually living inside the castle. Most of the citizens stayed in comfortable makeshift cottages. The quietness of the stony palace sent a peace into Amy's mind. Sometimes the silence helped her think. She went through the palace halls, looking to see if anyone else was awake while also remaining quiet in case if they weren't. In the nursery, Amy found Mari-An nursing her infant daughter.

"Morning, Mari-An." the cherry-pink female greeted.

"Oh, good morning Amy." the light red echidna greeted back.

"I know this is going to sound _really, really_ stupid, but is everything okay?"

"As far as I'm aware, all is well. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, I just got this weird awful feeling that something isn't right."

"A premonition perhaps?"

"Maybe..."

"Best not dwell on it too much, my dear. Being too cautious will spoil your focus."

Amy became quiet as she went deep into thought.

'_But cautious of what?_' she mentally asked herself.

xxxxxxx

Later that morning, Amy went outside to help Rob'O move some things around. Then they returned inside the castle to tidy it up a little. Even though there was only a few people actually living inside of it, the palace got messy at times. Especially since they now had two bouncing children to occupy it. Lil' Jon would sometimes be mischievous and leave his things around as well as pull innocent pranks on people. Amy thought it was funny.

The rest of the morning passed by uneventfully. Everything was in natural working order like clockwork and everyone didn't seem to have a worry or care. Leading Amy to believe that her sketchy feelings were nothing to be bothered about.

'_Maybe I'm being paranoid with all that stupid stuff going on._' the young flower thought.

With that, she raised her head high and decided to forget about it.

Then...it happened.

XXXXXXX

Shadow's invasion army landed right outside the capital city of Mercia, causing the citizens to go up in panic. The Black Arms surrounded any possible escape route so no one could flee the area. Dark Presence troops held some citizens at ray-gun point to make sure they didn't get any ideas about opposing them. It was almost a mirrored event of want happened with the Felidae. But the frightened peasants instantly surrounded. As the troops barreled through the front gates of the castle to secure it, a servant managed to warn the royal family.

"Sire! Sire!" he called out. "King Shadow and his men are invading!"

Rob'O, already aware of the circumstance, rose from his throne.

"Have everyone keep calm. Don't rush into unnecessary fights." the pine-green hedgehog said. "There has to be an explanation for this."

Beside him in the Queen's throne was Mari-An, and to her right sitting in a stool, was Amy. An awful pit emerged in the sakura hedgehog's stomach as she exchanged a nervous glance with her cousin-in-law. Standing in between the two ladies was Lil' Jon.

"Mum? What's going on?" he asked.

"I'm not certain, dear. Better keep quiet alright?" Mari-An replied softly.

Miraculously, despite all the calamity that had started, nothing severe happened to the innocent town folk of Mercia. King Shadow came out of his transport shortly after it landed, walking like a god. Accompanying him were two special Dark Presence agents acting as his body guards though Shadow really had no need for them. This was it. The last piece of the puzzle. The final element of his master plan falling into place. His supreme conquest would be complete. The crimson-splash male entered the throne room and eyed Rob'O in anticipation. Maybe, if Shadow got really lucky, he would be able to kill him right then and there.

Then...suddenly...he saw Amy sitting there. He truly did not expect to see her there at all. Shadow had thought all of the former Freedom Fighters were either on New Mobotropolis, or on Angel Island. Normally, he would have just ignored her presence like the others, but very strangely enough, he found himself...distracted.

For a moment, nothing mattered or even existed between him her. Amy had aged...so well. A strange warm feeling erupted inside of the midnight clad monarch as well as an urge that quickly became too hard to ignore. All this really disturbed him. _Never_ in his existence, had he been distracted from his goals by _anything_, let alone a mere female. But true to form, Shadow returned to the task at hand in a nano second. As the dark king approached them, Rob'O quickly turned to his cousin.

"Amy dear, would you please take Lil' Jon into the courtyard?" he said softly.

Amy blinked a few time and then nodded and led the small echidna boy out of the throne room by the hand. Shadow's blood red eyes briefly followed her before once again turning his attention to his 'monarch rival'.

"What do you want of us, King Shadow?" Rob'O boldly asked.

"Your surrender." Shadow simply declared while folding his arms.

The pine green hedgehog stiffened up a little. He hadn't done anything to provoke this. Meanwhile Shadow firmly held his ground. Rob'O would most definitely comply if he knew what was good for him.

"Look around you," the ebony hedgehog continued. "my forces have your province and entire kingdom surrounded. Should you refuse, there will be dire consequences."

Rob'O let out a heaving sigh. He knew Shadow was right and there was no other way out of this. If he chose to fight the dark king and his forces here and now, there would be no hope of victory. Thus, the kingdom would be reduced to ashes and the death toll would be catastrophic.

"May I at least still rule over my own people?" Rob'O asked with a glimmer of hope in his features.

"You may." Shadow replied staunchly. "But not as a king, only a sub-boss."

Rob'O grimaced. He thought he'd die before becoming something as vile as that. But Shadow was intent on being the ONLY king on and of the entire planet. However, there was a ray of light in this impending darkness. Rob'O could still govern his people and as long as he was obedient to Shadow, the crimson-splashed male wouldn't have any reason to cause more problems for him and the Mercians. And perhaps later, when things had calmed down, the tan clad male could figure out a way to stage a rebellion and usurp Shadow.

"Very well then." Rob'O agreed.

"A wise decision." Shadow replied. "Before I depart, I shall deliver the new rules and regulations that you are now expected to follow."

With that, the midnight clad monarch left the castle. He ordered a few legionnaires and Black Arms to stay and occupy the area until her was convinced that he had loyalty and obedience from the Mercians and their former king.

XXXXXXX

Meanwhile, in the garden of the castle courtyard, Amy had gone there with Lil' Jon. With the Black Arms and legionnaires prowling about, the cherry-pink female watched her charge like a hawk. Her mind was running in eight different directions. Filled with panic and rage. She personally wanted to punch him right in the face.

"Amy?"

Amy looked down and saw Lil' Jon tugging at her skirt.

"What is it, Jon?" she asked.

"Are we in big trouble?"

The young flower gave a frown but patted the youngster's head affectionately.

"I certainly hope not." she said softly.


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey guys, again, sorry for the long wait. Like the previous chapter, this is an extended version of Chapter 9 of _Iron Shadows & Frail Flowers: Book II _so hope you enjoy!**

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=Chapter 4=

Shadow promptly returned to his transport vessel, but did not leave to return to his palace in Portal. He sat in his private office thinking very deeply. And about Amy Rose. The ebony hedgehog just could not for the life of him get her out of his mind. This feeling taking root deep inside of him and growing fruitful by the second, was completely foreign to him and he began to wonder if this was something that Professor Gerald programmed into him whilst he was being created.

After a short while, Shadow realized that the emotions he was experiencing right now were very similar to those he felt for Maria. But that wasn't possible. It just couldn't be. The _only_ friend he ever had was the one person he felt anything for. Perhaps maybe there was something about Amy that reminded him of the young woman he turned into a deity? Whatever it was, fact of matter was that he wanted her. And to his frustration, he wanted her right now. Perhaps, there was a way to 'retrieve' her and 'persuade' the sakura hedgehog to come quietly with him without getting into a huge mess of things. As Shadow thought more and more about it, Amy would make a much better consort than the Queen. However, he would have to keep it a secret. From the general public that is. His armies would not dare question him so the crimson-splashed monarch didn't have to worry about that.

And as for Miss Rose, she would cooperate. She'd have no choice. The cherry-pink would do it whether she liked it or not. Shadow then got up from his desk and went to the main bridge of his transport. His transmission of the rules and regulations were already complete.

"Computer, locate subject: Amy Rose." he said aloud.

The machine whirred for a moment before giving its results.

"AMY ROSE IS LOCATED AT NEVER LAKE." an electronic voice replied.

A dark and sinister smile appeared on Shadow's face.

'Perfect.' he thought.

A few moments later, he called in two Black Arms.

"Yes, Master?" said one.

The midnight clad hedgehog froze frame an image of Amy Rose at Never Lake fishing, and showed at to the two monstrous aliens.

"Find her." Shadow commanded. "And bring her to me."

"We obey, Master." the other Black Arms said.

With that the pair left.

XXXXXXX

"KING SHADOW DID WHAT?!"

Amy was absolutely furious when her cousins told her what had transpired in the past hour.

"How could he do that?!" she cried. "He's not being fair!"

"I know, dear one." Rob'O said softly. "But I'm afraid we had no other choice."

Amy still couldn't believe it. What a world.

"It will be alright, Amy." Mari-An assured her. "It won't be so bad."

"Yeah, but now we're going to have Dark Presence creeps breathing down our necks." the young flower muttered.

"Amy, why don't you go to the lake and gather some fish?" Rob'O told her. "It'll allow your mind to cool off a bit."

"Oh alright."

Hanging her head, she left the room and off to find her rod and net. Rob'O felt extremely down giving up like that. He felt as if he failed. If it had been Robotnik, Rob'O would've boldly gone to battle with him. Seeing the pained look in the pine-green hedgehog's eyes, Mari-An began to comfort him.

"There was nothing you could've done, dearest." she said soothingly. "Besides, you're still a king in my eyes."

Rob'O smiled. He could always count on her for a positive view of things. They both shared a heartfelt kiss.

xxxxxxx

Meanwhile at Never Lake, a stomping Amy Rose was practically fuming. She fought hard to resist the urge to stick her tongue out at the Dark Presence legionnaires. As soon as she got to the lake, she began her usual chore of fishing. 10 minutes of waiting allowed her angry mind to diffuse a little. Maybe Rob'O was right about this. It would be really bad if he decided to stand and fight. This wasn't Robotnik after all. But still, the sakura hedgehog felt as if her people were being bullied for no good reason. And just what the hell did Shadow need Mercia for anyway? Even more confusing, how could Queen Sally allow this? The whole thing just made her feel sick.

Then suddenly, just as Amy was about to make her first catch, the ground began to shake. It felt like a miniature earthquake. Turning and jumping to her left, Amy saw a pair of Black Arms approaching her. At first, she thought that they were merely patrolling or whatever it was that they do. But the cherry-pink female turned out to be dead wrong.

"Amy Rose, is it?" one Black Arms asked.

"Um, y-yes?" Amy replied nervously. "W-what do you want?"

"You must come with us. Immediately."

Now Amy was greatly confused.

"B-but...why?" she asked.

"The Master had requested your presence." replied the demonic alien. "He demands that you be brought do him. Now come!"

The two Black Arms then proceeded to drag a confused and protesting Amy Rose all the way back to the transport vessel. Once they were there, the aliens threw her into the brig. Now trapped inside a lonely cell, Amy was partially in panic mode. A million frantic thoughts raced through her mind. She has no idea why she was being brought before King Shadow in the first place. She hadn't done any wrongdoing, at least she didn't think she did. Maybe this was a ploy to weaken Rob'O even further. Or maybe Rob'O actually done something that Shadow caught onto and now she was being held hostage as a punishment. Even though it had only been a few minutes, Amy was already shivering in her cell, feeling rather afraid of what might happen.

Then finally, the cell door opened. Amy's bright jade eyes jumped up and they were met with blood red ones. It was the dark King of Mobius himself. Amy wasted no time in confronting him.

"Why the hell did you bring me here, Shadow?!" she questioned. "What do you want from me?!"

Shadow gave her a stern and distasteful look.

"I'd rather you address me as _your majesty_." he said solemnly.

The young flower just rolled her eyes defiantly. Right now, this cruel scum had just taken away her cousin's right to rule over his own people, and by God, she wasn't going to stand for anymore bullshit that he was capable of cooking up.

"I wouldn't call you a king even if you were the last monarch on the whole dang planet!" Amy spat.

Shadow just grinned a little. He was taking a little liking to her rebellious attitude. But this just made him want to crush it at the same time.

"Very well, I shall go straight to the point." he said. "Since you are so impatient."

Amy narrowed her eyes at him to show that she was waiting.

"You are coming back with me to Portal." Shadow continued.

The sakura hedgehog's expression dropped like a rock. It wasn't a suggestion, it was a fact.

"W-why?" Amy rasped. "What for?!"

That's when the ebony hedgehog gave her a dark and sinisterly lustful look. Something that completely turned Amy off in an instant. He then began to approach her as she stood bewildered. Out of pure instinct, Amy began backing away from him and was soon cornered into the cell wall. Right away, her mind went into panic mode again.

"Wha-what do you think you're doing?!" she exclaimed.

Shadow just continued to stare lowly into her eyes and started to stroke her soft quills. Normally, Amy would've reacted to that, but Shadow's deep red eyes mesmerized her. For Shadow, having her here and so close only intensified those emotions that laid dormant inside him until he saw her.

"I want you to be my mate." the crimson-splashed male whispered into the cherry-pink female's ear.

Amy's jade orbs widened with absolute shock and disbelief. This only made her want to get out of that cell even more.

"WHAT?!" she cried. "I-I can't, I...wait, what about Sally? Isn't she your _wife_?!"

"The _Queen_ has been moved to another province to rule." Shadow replied matter-of-factly. "And I should remind you that our 'marriage' was strictly political."

Amy did not like where this situation was going. She was starting to feel like she was being trapped inside a cage, like a defenseless and helpless animal. She was at a loss for words.

"I...I.." Amy stammered.

Shadow just took her reaction as another mere inconvenience and started to leave.

"I'll give you a few hours to think it over." he said.

With that, the midnight clad monarch left a confused and frightened Amy alone in the brig. It took her a few minutes to snap back into her senses as she was just beside herself with fear. What the hell just happened? Amy never expected Shadow to come onto her like that. It thoroughly creeped her out. Suddenly she heard the transport vessel hum to life. To the young flower's horror, she realized that they were taking off and leaving Mercia, possibly heading for Portal. Shadow was really going to kidnap her. In a flurry of footsteps, Amy rushed towards the cell door and started pounding her fists on it.

"Hey wait!" she cried out. "I need to get home! WAIT! PLEASE!"

But her cries went unheard no matter how hard or loud she screamed. The bare facts were now hitting Amy like a pile of heavy bricks as tears began leaking out of her jade orbs. With Shadow forcefully taking her away from her home, it was becoming very painfully likely that Amy might not ever see her family again. She collapsed on the floor of the brig, curled into a tight ball and started to sob.

'_Rob'O...Mari-An..._'

XXXXXXX

Back at the Mercian castle, Amy's absence did not go unnoticed. When Mari-An began to realize that her young cousin-in-law taking quite a long time fishing, she decided to go to Never Lake to check up on her. Upon reaching the lake, the female echidna saw Amy's abandoned net and rod. Which was odd.

"Amy?" she called out. "Amy dear, where are you?"

There was no answer. Only silence. Mari-An started looking around for her missing cousin. Her search quickly became fruitless, and she resorted to asking the Mercian town folk if they might have seen her. Unfortunately, none of them did and quite a few of them joined in with the former queen in her search. With no Amy in sight, Mari-An began to panic. She rushed inside the old palace frantically towards her husband.

"Rob! Rob!" she cried out.

The pine-green hedgehog was struck to see his mate looking hysterical.

"What is it, love?" he asked in concern.

"It's Amy Rose, she's missing!"

"What?"

"I've searched everywhere, she's nowhere to be found!"

"Now let's remain calm, dearest. I'm quite certain she's around here somewhere."

Rob'O, followed by Mari-An, went out into the front of the castle and began forming a searching party. That quickly caught the concern of the observing Dark Presence troops, thinking that the Mercians were up to something.

"Hey. What do you people think you're doing?" the commander asked a little aggressively

"There's no need for you to be alarmed, commander." Rob'O calmly explained. "My cousin, Amy Rose has turned up to be missing. I'm forming a party to search for her."

"Don't bother. King Shadow has taken custody of Amy Rose."

Instantly, all the color drained from both Rob'O and Mari-An's face.

"What?! Why?" the female echidna cried.

"What has she done?!" Rob'O demanded.

"Searched me." the commander replied with a shrug. "Why don't you go contact the king yourself, governor?"

XXXXXXX

Hours later, Shadow's transport vessel landed in an underground hanger beneath the surface of Angel Island. The ebony hedgehog purposely landed there because he felt escorting Amy into the palace from there would be much easier. The hanger had quick access to all the secret passages in the palace, so escorting Amy and getting back to higher matters would be a breeze. As expected however, when two Black Arms came out carrying Amy along, she violently struggled to break free.

"Let me go!" she shrieked. "Let. Me. Go!"

"Subdue her." Shadow ordered the Black Arms, not paying any attention to the sakura hedgehog.

One of the demonic aliens grew out a small barb from its hand and quickly jabbed it on the cleft of Amy's neck. It did not injure her in any way, but it instantly knocked her out. She hung from the hands of the Black Arms, dangling like a lifeless rag doll. Inside the palace, Amy was handed off to a pair of Dark Presence palace guards. As per Shadow's orders, they placed the cherry-pink female inside a large burgundy and grey room. It was the Master Apartment in which Shadow had once shared with Sally. Afterward, the guards locked Amy inside and left her there.

Shadow went into his war room to add Mercia to his conquest collection. Just when things were starting to settle down for him, one of his technicians came up to him.

"Sire, you have a transmission from Mercia." he said.

'_Hmm, that didn't take very long._' the crimson-splashed male thought, secretly hoping that the country's former king was disposed of.

He went over to the main computer to patch in through Mercia's communication systems.

"Yes?"

"King Shadow!" exclaimed Rob'O the Hedge's voice. "Where have you taken my cousin, Amy Rose?! I demand to know what you've done with her!"

While Rob'O looked absolutely desperate, Shadow had an expression of no nonsense and not appearing to care.

"Amy Rose is in my custody now." the midnight clad monarch declared in a very stern and uppity tone. "Her well-being is no longer your concern."

"But why did you take her? What has she done?!"

"Nothing. This matter is simply 'tribute'."

Now Rob'O was pissed.

"WHAT?! THAT WAS NEVER DISCUSSED, NOR CONSIDERED!" he shouted.

"Allow me to remind you who rules Mobius." Shadow said rather darkly. "Miss Rose will be well for here. If you make any attempt at any rashness, you _will_ be severely punished."

And with that, the midnight clad monarch turned off communications with Mercia. Rob'O stared at the blank screen for a moment before furiously punching it. With that other inconvenience out of the way, Shadow then left the war room. He went through the halls of the palace with the setting sun's light reflecting off of him through the windows. He made a turn towards the master apartment, with the intent of being with his _prize_.


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: Well I'm back with this bitty. I must warn the readers that there's rape in this chapter. So if you don't like reading such things I strongly advise you to skip this chapter. I think this and _Cherry Blossoms _are going to be the last titles that have any lemons for awhile.**

* * *

=Chapter 5=

Amy slowly awoke. Her whole body felt numb. She literally felt like a rock. As her jade eyes cracked open, her vision was extremely blurry. Confusion immediately set in.

'_What happened?_' she thought. '_Where am I?_'

It took a little while for vision to become clear and her body to be mobile again. Amy saw a grey ceiling above her and for a moment, she thought she was looking up at a cloudy sky. Blinking slowly, the sakura hedgehog tired lifting herself. Amy's head was really pounding and spinning. The past 2 hours were an absolute blur to her. A few minutes later, she found that she was in a colossal room with burgundy and grey walls. Amy next found herself on a king-sized bed with a marble stone frame. Now she was quite confused. Where the hell was she?!

Then suddenly, she heard a door open from a little far off. Next, Amy saw a dark figure come closer to her. After regaining her bearings, the dark figure was revealed to be Shadow. Amy then remembered what had happened earlier, causing her to attempt to attack him in a flurry of rage. She tried punching at him but he easily blocked her blows by grabbing ahold of her wrists.

"Ngh! You son of a bitch!" the cherry-pink female shrieked. "Why the hell did you bring me here?!"

The ebony male raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised at her 'colorful' language. But he continued to hold her at bay.

"Didn't I already tell you?" he asked.

Amy kept struggling to get out of Shadow's hold. He simply released her with a slight push, causing her to fall backwards onto the bed. She backed away as the midnight monarch moved in closer to her.

"I...I still don't understand..." Amy said anxiously.

"It's quite simple." Shadow murmured with a tone like he was addressing a delinquent. "I want you as my own."

Before Amy could even register what he was saying to her, he forcefully kissed her. Her eyes widened in shock and she tried pushing him away. Finally, she was able to get one of her hands free and hit Shadow across the face with what was a slap and a punch. Shadow simply brushed it off as if it were nothing. Meanwhile, Amy, who was now hyperventilating and feeling very uncomfortable, scrambled away to the far corner. Shadow, after removing his flowing cape, began approaching the young flower again.

"Wha...what the hell do you think you're doing?!" she cried.

"I told you." Shadow replied lowly and annoyedly. "I want you as my mate."

Amy's panicked eyes became winder as she saw that he was really serious about this. It horrified and disgusted her.

"No. I-I can't, I..." she rasped.

"I will treat you well, just as long as you obey me." Shadow told her.

Now Amy felt really disgusted. This whole thing was starting to make her feel sick.

"No! I won't do it!" she exclaimed. "Y-you can't make me."

Shadow made an expression like he was going to shrug his shoulders.

"Very well." he said quietly and darkly. "I tried to reason with you."

As the ebony hedgehog started to close in her, Amy quickly made another break for it. She rushed forward in a speed created by the adrenalin rush in her blood. Shadow of course gave chase, but his path was momentarily blocked by various objects that Amy grabbed ahold of and threw to the floor in order to deter him. The sakura hedgehog was terrified and rushed about like a trapped animal. When she came across the door, she quickly and desperately tried to open it. But it was locked tightly and would not budge. Thus her hope of escaping flew out the window. There weren't any windows that could use either.

Amy quickly moved from that spot, frantically thinking of what to do. Shadow however, was simply following her every move, impatiently waiting for her energy to wane or for her to simply give up. Amy certainly wasn't giving up. She thought about hiding, but that certainly wouldn't work. Poor Amy was running out of options. Worse still, her body was starting to get exhausted, as the adrenaline in her blood thinned out. Then, Shadow took the opportunity to make his move. Despite Amy trying to get away, the midnight clad male finally cornered her. He pinned the frightened cherry-pink female to the wall in spite of her trying to punch him. Shadow started kissing and nipping her neck, making Amy start to cry.

"P-please..." she begged. "I...mph!"

Shadow captured her in a lip-lock, catching her by surprise. Amy struggled in his hold but couldn't accomplish much because of her waning energy. She fell limp under him, getting weaker. Shadow decided to scoop her up and carry her to the bed. As he did so, Amy squirmed and kicked in his arms, making one last feeble attempt to get free. The crimson-splashed male tossed her onto the bed and quickly pinned her down before she had a chance to get away.

"Ngh! Let go of me!" Amy shrieked.

Shadow simply held her down and waited for her to tire herself out.

"If you'd just submit, Rose, I wouldn't have to do this." Shadow whispered.

His response was getting spit on the face by the young flower beneath him.

"G-go to hell!" she hissed.

Then, in what seemed to be mere retaliation, the ebony hedgehog began tearing Amy's clothes right off her frame. She started screaming, hoping at least _someone_ would come to help her. But no one was coming. She was on her own.

Now thoroughly before the monarch, all Amy could do now was turn her face away shamefully whimpering and trembling. Shadow on the other hand, was going to let her off that easily. He grabbed ahold of her chin, startling her.

"Look at your King!" he demanded.

Amy kept her eyes shut trying to use every ounce of inner strength to resist him. Shadow emitted a low growl at her stubbornness. He lowered himself over her neck and continued where he left off. Then the sakura hedgehog suddenly felt a pair of fangs clamp down into fur and skin, causing her to cry out in pain. Shadow was marking her as his in a territorial kind of fit. At this point, natural instincts were taking over any logic that he had in his head. Even though this was all very new to him, Shadow still had a sense and desire to conquer everything that came within eyeshot.

Meanwhile, Amy was in extreme pain. Obviously, Shadow hadn't heard of the term 'being gentle'. When he finally released her, a few drops of blood fell onto the sheets beneath the two of them. Amy was trembling from shock, pain, and fear. Shadow then made his move while she was sort of distracted. When she suddenly felt a swift and harsh intrusion in her most personal area, Amy let out a piercing scream. She felt as if her soft and sensitive insides were being torn apart and lit on fire. Never in her whole life had she ever felt such immense pain. Not even when she got occasionally wounded while fighting Robotnik with the Freedom Fighters. It clouded her mind and all the cherry-pink female wanted was to be away from it. Or at least disappear. As the ebony hedgehog continued thrusting in and out of her, Amy's mind and consciousness shut off, as if becoming a lifeless doll with her inner being attempting to gain access to Nirvana.

Sadly, her mental attempts to get away from her current situation badly failed. The actions the midnight monarch was performing just could not be ignored. Finally, Shadow released inside of her, causing Amy to utter a pitiful whimper. Her throat was already sore from screaming earlier, and her energy was rapidly expiring. The animalistic urges and instincts that took control of Shadow from before were starting to let up. Being the Ultimate Lifeform, he wasn't nearly as tired as Amy. He rolled to his side and curled around the young flower's weakened form. Poor Amy was still shaking in shock and trauma with her ears full flattened backwards on her head. She figured by now, the crimson-splashed male was done with her, since he got what he wanted. Little did she know that Shadow had no intention of letting her go. He was keeping her, whether she liked it or not.

Amy let the calming darkness and numbers of sleep take over her. She just wanted to get away from that. Meanwhile, Shadow took his 'rest' by casually but lovingly nipping and nuzzling the sakura hedgehog's neck.

XXXXXXX

The night went on as if nothing had transpired. It was just like any other night. Then hours later, the sun slowly climbed to the sky as the perpetually moving island made its trek across the air above the mainland. The skyline appeared to be a pale blue, grey, pink and finally gold as the morning star moved upwards. Inside the Royal Palace, all was quiet. A few groups of Dark Presence guards were up and about performing whatever duties or jobs that they had been assigned to.

In the master apartment, Shadow laid awake and stroking a certain cherry-pink female's quills. Amy was also awake, but refusing to budge, in spite of the fact that she was lying atop of the ebony hedgehog. She was still in shock. Not only that, but new and terrible feelings wormed their way into her head. Amy felt very terrified, violated, desecrated, and _used_. She thought Shadow was bad for suppressing the good people of Mobius under his harsh rule, but now, she knew for sure that he was nothing _but_ pure evil. Right now, Amy just wanted Shadow to leave the freaking room already so she could figure out how to get out of the palace and the off the island.

Unfortunately things were not going to work out in her favor.

"I know you're awake, Rose." Shadow whispered in her bent down ears.

That caused Amy to jump in surprise. How the hell did he know?! She was perfectly still the whole time. The young flower shivered as Shadow gave her a gentle peck on the head.

"Now then, are you going to be obedient in the future?" he asked.

Amy was silent. Right now she didn't even want to look at him let alone talk to him.

"Rose?"

Unfortunately for her, Shadow wasn't going to tolerate her 'silent treatment'.

"...l-leave me a-alone..." Amy muttered in a tiny voice.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. He was beginning to think that she was acting like a child.

"I will not answer such foolish statements, Rose." the crimson-splashed male lowly hissed.

The sakura hedgehog let out a shaky sigh. He had no freaking clue right now. She was on the verge of a breakdown.

"...please..." Amy whimpered. "...j-just leave me be. Please."

Shadow narrowed his piercing blood-red eyes in a mix of irritation, frustration, and annoyance. He lifted himself up a little and pulled her closer to him. Amy kept turning her head away from him, her face going red from sheer modesty of being completely nude in front of him.

"You seem to forget who you are addressing, little flower." Shadow growled at her.

He didn't see that Amy had started to silently weep. She felt absolutely miserable right now. It made her want to scream to the high heavens.

"Wha-what the h-hell do you want?!" she cried pitifully.

Suddenly, she felt Shadow grab ahold of her chin and force her to look him right square in the eye.

"I want YOU, to obey my EVERY word, without question." the ebony hedgehog said in a very harsh voice.

Amy turned her face away from him again. He looked downright frightening. Before anything else could happen, Shadow's communicator went off. He released her and got out of the bed to answer it.

"Yes?"

"Your Majesty, there's an issue that requires your presence." said the voice of a Dark Presence guard in the receiver.

"I see. Very well, I'll be down momentarily." Shadow replied.

He put down his communicator and began to put on his cape and crown. Amy was still on the bed, nervously eyeing his every move.

"There's some business I must attend to, Rose." the midnight clad monarch told her. "I will return shortly. And when I do, you WILL be better behaved."

The cherry-pink female watched him leave, hearing the door being locked tightly. Once he was gone, she buried herself under the sheets, curled into a tight ball, and started to sob uncontrollably.


	7. Chapter 6

=Chapter 6=

Shadow went downstairs to the war room to see what was causing the trouble. Many of the Dark Presence soldiers were there softly chattering about what was happening.

"Report." the crimson-splashed male demanded.

"There's a small resistance start to build in Downunda." one guard said. "But they're so well hidden, we're having difficulty locating where this rebellion is based."

Now Shadow was pissed. He just barely got the whole entire world as one kingdom together under his thumb and now already there was a resistance against him.

"I want a legion of Dark Presence and Black Arms to be shipped off there and occupy Downunda." the ebony hedgehog commanded. "I want this resistance to be stamped out, I will not allow it."

"Yes, sire!" the guard said with a salute.

"Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"Well no, sire. Other than the situation in Downunda, there is nothing else to report."

"Good. Get to work on shipping out those legions."

"As you wish, my king."

XXXXXXX

Back in the master apartment, Amy was still curled up in a very tight ball and shaking in fear. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she slowly got up wincing in pain from the effort and wrapping the quilt around her. She barely remembered the bathroom that she had spotted earlier while running from Shadow. Quietly, Amy hobbled over to the bathroom, her legs being extremely wobbly like jello and seemingly weak like twigs. Her mind was blank almost completely. That was, until she saw herself in the mirror. Amy did not like what saw. The person in the reflection wasn't her. It had to be some other female hedgehog standing in her place. This person in the mirror was a battered and frightened looking woman. But this couldn't be Amy. It was NOT Amy. The sakura hedgehog refused to believe that THIS was her future. In a spat of emotion, Amy let out a scream and gave the mirror one powerful punch. The reflective glass shattered to pieces immediately thereafter. Some of which cut her fingers as they fell. Gasping, Amy fell into a heap and breaking down. She covered her face and starting sobbing again. She couldn't stand the thought of being imprisoned there anymore. Then, Amy stared at the shards of broken glass. Suddenly an opportunity-and to her the only opportunity-to escape had presented itself. She wanted to at least get away before Shadow robbed whatever dignity she had left.

The cherry-pink female picked up one large and particularly sharp shard of glass and began slashing at her wrists.

xxxxxxx

Shadow decided to return to his quarters to check up on Amy. A dark feeling had suddenly come over him which prompted him to make sure that she wasn't doing anything she might regret. When he got to the penthouse, the midnight clad monarch wasn't surprised to see the bed empty.

'_She must be hiding somewhere._' he thought. Since he had locked the door himself, there was no way the young flower would've been able to get out, so she had to be hiding.

But the whole apartment was deathly quiet. An uneasy and cold feeling arose in Shadow which could not be ignored.

"Rose?" he called out.

No answer, making that feeling quickly turn to ice. Shadow started searching for her, calling out her name while doing so. Then, coming to the bathroom area, ruby eyes spotted blood trailing out of the smaller adjacent room where the shower and toilet was. The mere sight of the crimson life giving liquid was enough to set Shadow off. Rushing forward, he then saw Amy lying on the floor with a small pool of blood, still flowing out of her open wrists.

'_Damn_!'

Acting quickly, Shadow dropped to his knees and pulled Amy into his arms. She was still warm, and her pulse was still good, for now. He got there just in time. He inspected her wrists next, and she slashed them pretty good. Shadow snatched his communicator and quickly activated it.

"This is the King, I have a medical emergency." he rasped. "Floor 25."

"On our way, sire." a voice replied.

In the meantime, Shadow grabbed some of the tissue paper nearby and pressed it against the gashes in Amy's wrists to stop the bleeding. Amy moaned a little as she was slightly unconscious. Then a few guards and medical personal came to retrieve the young flower escort her to the Infirmary.

While there, the physicians patched up her wrists and gave a transfusion of a few pints of blood. It turned out that Amy didn't lose so much and after a day or two she would be perfectly healthy. However, Shadow was not satisfied. If Amy could do away to keep her from harming herself at least once, she would surely try it again. He had to find a way to keep her from harming herself while he wasn't around to keep an eye on her.

XXXXXXX

A few hours later, the king went over to a large lab which had large computer panels against the walls. It was here where all the technology that the Dark Presence used was designed and in part, created as far as weapons go. Inside was a lone echidna who sat there all day by himself looking at computer screens. His attention was caught by Shadow coming in. A crooked smirk came across his features.

"Why, your majesty." the echidna croaked. "This is an unexpected pleasure. To what do I owe this honor?"

"I am in need of your assistance, professor." Shadow said softly.

"Oh?"

"I need you to create a device that will keep a person from committing self-harm."

The professor gave a chortle.

"Why your majesty, such a device had already been created." the professor said. "I believe it's called a Taser."

"That is true, but I need one that won't prove to be fatal. And, one that I can onto a person and still control myself." Shadow replied.

The echidna scratched his chin.

"Hmmm, how interesting." he mused. "And this for your army I presume?"

"No, my armies obey me without question." Shadow said. "This is just for one person. A young female in fact."

"I see. This is _very_ interesting task you've given me, my lord."

"Can it be done?"

"I don't why it cannot. Allow me to get myself to work, your majesty."

A smirk came across Shadow's face.

"Of course." he murmured.

XXXXXXX

The next day, Amy awoke in the Infirmary, a little dazed and confused. While trying to open her eyes an intense bright light, she had thought that she had finally gone to the peaceful afterlife. But after getting her vision to focus, she realized that she was nowhere near the next plane of existence.

'_Where am I?_' Amy thought.

She tried lifting herself up, but for some reason, she couldn't move. Shifting her head around, Amy found that she was strapped to the stretcher bed of which she laid on. It was to keep her from hurting herself, but it left the young flower very confused. Why was she there to begin with? Then, her questions were answered when a lone figure came into the otherwise empty room. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the person that Amy did NOT want to see or be around. The crimson-splashed male approached her bed as she turned her head away from him. He grabbed a chair and sat beside the bed.

"You will NOT do that again." he growled. "Do you understand me?"

Amy didn't answer him. She just continued to look away.

'_Go to hell._' she thought.

Shadow saw the expression on her face and mentally growled. He never saw such stubbornness before in his existence. But at the same time, he was a bit impressed. Shadow folded his arms and continued watching over her. A few minutes later, Amy tried struggling in the straps that held her down to the bed. Shadow instantly rose from his seat and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Enough." he boomed lowly. "There's no point in trying to escape so don't bother. Desist or I'll have them sedate you."

Amy let out a whine. She did not like being held down against her will. Talking to the Ultimate Lifeform wouldn't help either. He was just as thick as she was. Another problem was that he was the king and absolute ruler, so he would get _his_ way no matter what. And that just drove Amy insane.

"Why don't you just get rid of me already?" she whimpered.

Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"Stop being childish." he murmured with a hiss.

That made Amy really upset. Not just upset, but angry. Seriously pissed off. Shadow had robbed her of her virtue and he had the gall to call her _childish_?!

"Leave me the fuck alone!" the sakura hedgehog cried.

That snapped a nerve inside of Shadow. His patience was literally wearing thin. Amy let out a gasp when she suddenly felt him grab a hold of one of her quills and start squeezing it. Hard.

"Let me remind you who is your master, Rose." the ebony hedgehog hissed. "If you persist in being disobedient, I will be forced to act drastically. And I'm quite certain you won't like it."

Amy let out another whimper. She never thought that Shadow would actually attack her while she was recovering from a suicide attempt. But in his mind, he had to do whatever was necessary to convince her that she was his to keep and that she was going nowhere.

However, Amy was even more scared and hateful towards him. The only wish in her mind was to flee from Portal altogether and perhaps get home to Mercia if her family would take her back knowing that she no longer had her purity. She just wanted to go home.

XXXXXXX

Deep within the tech lab later that evening, the Professor was tweeking his latest toy and project for the King. Unable to contain his excitement, he called on the midnight clad monarch. Although Shadow was also anticipating the completion of this project, he didn't know why the nearly withered echidna always called when it was inconvenient.

Nevertheless, Shadow agreed to come to the lab as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the Professor would have to wait an hour before the King came to his doorstep.

"You are late, my dear majesty." the Professor croaked.

"It could not be helped." Shadow said. "I had some affairs to address."

"But of course. No matter, your device is finished!"

Then the echidna showed him a pair of black leather bands resting on one of the desks. They seemed to very simple, which perplexed Shadow a little. The bands at first glance, weren't too impressive.

"Of course they appear to be innocent looking." the Professor said. "However, by wearing these specially designed gauntlets, which are similar to what you currently have, you can control these bands with a simple gesture."

Now Shadow was slightly impressed. But he wanted to know about the bands themselves.

"The bands, once attached to a person, will never come off unless you use the gauntlets to make it so. Underneath the leather are thin micro wires that will send a shock, nonfatal mind you, or a sedative to the person. Whichever you prefer, my king. It also comes with a homing device."

Shadow was completely pleased by the work the Professor put into it. It was more than what he could ask for.

"Excellent." the crimson-splashed male said.

"Then your majesty is pleased?" the Professor asked.

"Very."


	8. Chapter 7

**AN: I just want to let you guys know, this story is going to be a short one. Sorry but that's how it works.**

* * *

=Chapter 6=

Amy was still in the Infirmary, sound asleep. She was somewhat happy to getting _some_ rest without Shadow watching her like a damn hawk. They still had her strapped to the bed which for an odd reason made her feel uneasy. She didn't know why, because at that point, the young flower didn't care what would happen to her. While she was asleep, she was able to think deeply and found that she wasn't too sure what she really wanted. Whether to escape and live, or just die there. Her brain was just a tangled up yarn ball.

Suddenly, Amy felt a slight pain in her arm. It was enough to stir her from her sleep. Tiredly, she turned her head and saw a nurse inserting something in the IV tube going into her arm. By the time Amy realized what was happening, it was too late. The nurse was putting in sedatives inside of the IV tube. In the far corner watching in total silence, was Shadow. Only a few seconds had passed and already Amy was feeling the drug's effects. A sense of panic set in her and her heart rate went up, which only allowed the drug to spread faster in her blood stream. When the nurse left, Shadow approached the bed. Amy got even more tensed as drew nearer to her, wondering what the hell he was up to now. Then, the sedative pulled her consciousness under.

xxxxxxx

An hour later, the sakura hedgehog awoke groggily and rather slowly. Her mind was now a contorted shapeless mold of clay. One thing she noticed was that the straps that held her down were gone. She also felt like a lump of dead meat. As she opened her tired jade eyes, Amy barely made out a familiar pair of piercing red eyes. A hand belonging to those eyes began stroking Amy's cheek. Of course, she turned her head away from him, but that didn't stop him from moving onto her quills. Then, the cherry-pink female noticed something else. Her eye was caught by something black wrapped around her wrist. Lifting her arm, her expression went from curiosity to confusion.

"What...what the hell is this?!" Amy rasped. More to herself than the other hedgehog in the room with her.

As Amy inspected the leather band around her wrists, she found another on her other wrist. Then Shadow took both of her hands into his and put them down on her lap.

"You'll find out soon enough." he told her.

But that made Amy a little anxious about it. Especially when Shadow wasn't being forthcoming about the bands that were now on her.

"Now then, are you ready to go back?" the ebony hedgehog asked.

"Go back where?" Amy replied, her attention caught.

"To our chambers."

Her face fell. For a moment, she hoped that Shadow would actually let her go home. She didn't want to go back into that room. But unfortunately, she didn't have much of a choice.

"What if I say no?" Amy challenged.

"That is a very dangerous answer to make, Rose." Shadow replied darkly.

That made her shiver, right done to the bone. It fueled her ambition to escape or die trying. But for now, it would be wise to stay on Shadow's 'good side' until she found a way get out of there.

"...I'm..I'm ready." Amy sheepishly said.

Shadow then stood up and took her hand, sort of helping her out of the bed. But since her legs still felt like goo from the sedative, she nearly fell like a sack of potatoes onto the floor. Shadow quickly caught her before she even landed and scooped her up into his arms. Then he wrapped a part of his flowing red cape around Amy's form and carried her right out of the Infirmary.

Amy was NOT comfortable with the midnight clad monarch holding her that way. She didn't want to be that close to him right now or ever. But she would have to bite her tongue and bear it.

XXXXXXX

Once they got back to the Master Apartment, Amy was a bit surprised to see that it was completely clean and neat, in spite of what occurred a few days ago. It kinda turned her stomach, because it felt as if the whole thing had never happened. And Shadow-as well as everyone else in the palace-was going to act as such. Then she felt the crimson-splashed male draw near her after putting her down on her feet, prompting her to back away from him. She already felt uncomfortable enough being in his presence. Shadow however, just wasn't in the mood to be playing such games with her at the moment and instantly became enraged and irritated and followed her every move.

"Rose, come to me." he ordered.

Amy only backed away further, and shook her head. Even though she went willingly with Shadow, she didn't want to participate in whatever he had in his cruel mind right now.

"Rose, I SAID to come here!" the ebony hedgehog shouted.

With that, Amy ran off a little, frightened by the tone of his voice. And that was Shadow's cue to test out the devices the Professor gave him. With a simple hand gesture, he heard a cry and a thump seconds later. Amy suddenly felt a strong electrical jolt shock her whole body and fell limp to the floor. Shadow went over to the young flower to investigate and saw her lying there. Amy's jade eyes were widened with shock at what just happened. Shadow knelt down to pick her up.

"Now then, you're going to obey me. Aren't you?" he said.

Amy was too shocked to respond. But eventually, she put two and two together and realized that the leather bands on her wrists were like control collars. Or in this case, 'control bands'. Shadow just took her reactions as a good enough response and scooped her up again. Placing her on the bed, the effects of the bands wore off a few moments later and Amy was back to normal. But it left her quite shaken. The crimson-splashed male then sat next to her and took her right back into his arms and promptly started nuzzling her. Amy started flinching away from him and attempted to squirm out of his hold. But the bands started their work again, leaving her to Shadow's will.

With his 'mate' slightly incapacitated, Shadow was free to act without having to physically subdue her. Amy let out a gasp when she felt him bite very hardly into the cleft of her neck, marking her as his property again. She shuddered as he laid his scent on her.

The poor young flower was having another panic attack. Without being able to defend herself, Shadow could violet her again and again. Like defending herself would be worth anything anyway.

'_Just let him do what he wants._' a voice in the back of her mind told her. '_Then he'll leave..._'

But Amy didn't want to go through literal hell just so she could have some peace.

"Why don't you just kill me?" she muttered. "I'll bet you want to, too."

Shadow gave her a look like she was spouting nonsense.

"Don't be ridiculous, I have no reason to do away with you." he said in a no nonsense tone. "But if you force me to, I will not hesitate to do away with your family. If that's what it takes for you to be obedient."

Amy became horrified at the thought of her family being murdered like that. She couldn't believe something like that would come out of Shadow's mouth. Then again, she should have known better.

Suddenly, the midnight clad monarch's communicator rang out prompting him to answer it.

"Yes? I see...very well, I'll be right there."

He closed up his communicator and gave Amy one last peck on her muzzle.

"I have to go now. Do well to remember to behave." Shadow said.

With that, Amy watched him leave. One silver lining to this whole catastrophe was that Shadow couldn't always be with her. It gave her an opportunity to find a way to escape this behemoth of a prison.

XXXXXXX

Shadow went through the halls of his castle very deep in thought. Breaking the sakura hedgehog's will was proving to be quite a challenge in itself. But oddly enough, as much as her rebelliousness annoyed him, it also enamored him. Actually, it was more than that. It drew him closer to her.

As his brain continued to work, Shadow then started to think of all the possibilities that were now open to him. Previously, he never really even thought of expanding his rule for generations to come. With Amy in the crimson-splashed male's possession, he could tightly secure the throne for himself. In a way. As long as Sally was sort of in the picture, the Acorn family line would still have a hold on the royal throne. But if he could keep the female chipmunk in her current position and in check, Shadow wouldn't have to worry about her meeting someone else and starting a family and possibly dethroning the Ultimate Lifeform.

'_In the near future, I shall have to keep Sally Acorn very, very busy._' he thought.

Before he could think move on the subject or on his new idea, he came into the War Room and one Dark Presence legionnaire came running over to him in earnest.

"Sire!" the guard cried. "We've found a base with rebels in Downunda."

Shadow felt his sour spirits start to rise a little.

"I see. Did you apprehend them?" he inquired.

"Unfortunately sire, the rebels attacked our troops and we were only able to arrest a few of them." the guard replied.

"No matter. We'll use them as an example to deter others from joining any rebel forces."

"If that pleases you, my king."

Shadow was in fact pleased. This first rebellion was already found and partially shut down. And with his troops and Black Arms patrolling and occupying the area, the rebels who were not caught would be discourages from setting up a meeting again.

This was, for him at least, good news.

XXXXXXX

Amy was trying in vain to find some way to escape the penthouse while she had the chance. However, the front door was locked tight and all the windows that she could find did not open out.

'_Rrgg...dammit!_' Amy mentally cursed.

But there _had_ to be a way out of that penthouse. After spending 15 minutes of searching, she finally found something. A small window in the kitchen area was the only one that could open out. However, from the looks of it, it would be very dangerous to climb out of it.

There was no balcony and no ledge. And judging by the looks of the other windows, the penthouse was on one of the highest floors in the palace. If Amy wasn't careful, she could very well wind up falling to her death. Then again, that would be a blessing in disguise.

The sakura hedgehog opened the window after taking a huge breath. Peering out, she discovered a long balcony not too far down from where she was. However, Amy would have to use some kind of rope to get herself down. She couldn't just jump down because it was too high up and Amy could end up injuring herself and that would get her nowhere. The problem was, what could she use for rope? Then it hit her. Amy could strip the bed and use the streets. Immediately, she hunted down the penthouse for every piece of drapery she could find. A few minutes later, Amy roped together some of her finding and very carefully climbed down the building. A breeze ruffled her quills and sent chills down her back. She tried very hard not to look down. Finally, her feet touched the floor of the balcony. But she wasn't in the clear just yet.

Amy's ear twitched to the faint sound of chattering voices. There were guards not too far from her position. Quickly, Amy moved forward to avoid them and to her luck, there was a small ladder leading further down the building. But the cherry-pink female had to remember not to be seen. It would be really bad if she got caught. She ran around the ledge, trying to find another way down. She came to the castle gardens where there were tall trees were growing in every corner.

Finally, Amy found a way to escape.

xxxxxxx

Shadow was busy in his Throne Room office when his communicator went off.

"King Shadow, here." he answered.

It was the Professor looking at a hand held screen showing a map and a solo signal.

"Good afternoon, your majesty." he said. "I think it might interest you to know that your subject appears to be on the loose."

All the color on Shadow's instantly drained.

"WHAT?"


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: Just a word of warning, there's a bit of graphic stuff in this chapter. If you're squeamish I advise you to either skip this chapter. Other than that enjoy :)**

* * *

=Chapter 8=

Amy successfully got out of the castle grounds and into the city of Portal itself. It was like going through a deep and complicated maze, and she had this sneaky feeling in her gut that she couldn't allow herself to be seen. For all the sakura hedgehog knew, Shadow could have spies crawling around all over the place. Either that , or his Dark Presence cronies. Amy hid in the allies where neither guard nor spy would even care to go or virtually have no interest in. As she navigated through the metropolis, the ground suddenly started vibrating. Looking through the openings between buildings, Amy spotted a group of Black Arms going by. The color in Amy's features went noticeably pale. She had forgotten about them, and they were worse than the Dark Presence.

Amy quietly moved throughout the city, almost finding herself lost in this labyrinth of steel, glass, and iron. She was starting to wonder how exactly she was going to get herself off the island itself.

'_Maybe I could stow away on one of the transport ships._' Amy thought. '_But the only problem with that is, I won't have any control of where it goes and chances are, it could go somewhere really far from Mercia._'

The cherry-pink female then continued on her way. Then suddenly, there was a huge explosion just a few feet behind her, blowing Amy off her feet. She let out a scream before landing into a tumble on the ground. Swerving her head to her right, Amy saw a Black Arms coming right at her. Quickly, she made a run for it. The Black Arms gave chase, following the young flower closely. Meanwhile, Amy was frantically wondering how the hell it found her to begin with. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The demonic alien nearly caused her to run into ground traffic. Thinking fast, Amy was able to avoid the vehicles and dart into the other side of the street. Amy hid in a space behind a bunch of cargo crates. The animalistic creature came straight to the same area and began sniffing around. Amy sat very still in her spot and even held her breath to prevent herself in being found. She felt very frightened but she couldn't let her fear get the better of her now. The sakura female sat very quietly, waiting for the beast to leave.

Finally, it left, growling at its own failure. As soon as she was sure that the Black Arms was gone, Amy got up and returned to her escape route. She tore through the allies evermore desperate to flee the island. She found herself in the center of the metropolis and saw a large fountain with a huge statue of a young woman bearing angelic wings. Amy wondered what kind of deity Shadow made these poor citizens worship. Or maybe it was something that the people came up with to seek comfort from the tyranny that the crimson-splashed monarch had wrought.

Suddenly, her ear twitched to the sound of a siren which told Amy that it was time to move on. The cherry-pink female didn't even bother to look behind her to see what was going on. Then the sirens went abruptly silent, making Amy think it was the local authority chasing down a criminal. As she drove on, Amy noticed that everything became dead silent. Something wasn't right. She slowed down in her steps and got extremely cautious. It was still day out so people couldn't have retired to their homes. Then Amy heard faint whispering ahead of her. However, she wasn't about to let her curiosity get the better of her. The young flower continued on her present course making certain that she stayed hidden and quiet. Turning a corner, Amy saw an opening in the alley. The whispering voice had gotten louder, much to her surprise. Carefully, she peered from behind the wall of the skyscraper to see if was safe to cross over. Amy instantly tore herself backwards. In the area beyond where she stood, was King Shadow and a group of Dark Presence minions.

Amy started panicking. What luck. She spent all that time trying to get as far as she could from the palace only to run into the midnight clad male in the city. And he wasn't too far away from her either, which made Amy feel very unnerved.

'_Get a grip on yourself, Amy Rose!_' the sakura hedgehog's consciousness shouted at her. '_Make a run for it!_'

Nodding at herself, Amy darted into the opposite direction. Running as if the Devil himself was after her. After coming to a different area, being totally blown off course, Amy felt lost. But she couldn't give up now. She got this far already. Amy let out a breath and turned a corner. When she did, the cherry-pink female was suddenly face to face with the ebony hedgehog himself. Before Amy's brain could register what was in front of her, Shadow's hand shot out and latched itself around her neck. Amy gasped out a startled cry and began struggling like a wrangled fish in his hold. For him, searching for her turned out to be easier than he anticipated. Of course, he had used the locating device that the Professor gave to him, to find her. It was just mere coincidence that he ran into her while preparing a search party.

Amy on the other hand, violently continued to struggle out of his grasp in order to free herself. She even started kicking at Shadow to get him to drop her. Then, she felt her body suddenly go limp. The young flower attempted to get away one more time, but for some reason, her limbs would just not respond and obey her brain's commands, no matter how hard she tried. And she was trying very, very, hard.

"Enough, you're going to wind up straining yourself." Shadow murmured.

But Amy refused to give up. Not yet. However, Shadow felt otherwise. When he that Amy was rendered helpless by the bands, he scooped her up in his arms and wrapped a portion of his cape around her subdued frame, as if he was hiding his most valued and precious possession. Dark Presence guards came rushing towards him after hearing all the noise Amy had made.

"Sire?" said one guard called out. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"

"It is now." Shadow replied, looking down on a now trembling Amy.

XXXXXXX

The king took the sakura hedgehog straight back to the palace. She was still in a stupor from earlier so when they were both in the Master Apartment, he tossed her onto the bed like a lifeless rag doll. Then as Shadow started to investigate how Amy was able to leave the premises, he began to probe his mind around about what he could do keep her confined in the palace and in a room where she wouldn't be able to hurt herself.

'_Wait..there's a spare room on one of the higher floors of the castle._' the crimson-splashed male thought. '_Perhaps I can do some refitting and renovating..._'

Shadow found the kitchen window jimmied opened and sheets tied together hanging out of it. He pulled them back in and closed the window. Then his ears twitched to the sound of soft moaning. Amy was starting to come out of her stupor. She felt as if her whole body was being poked at by tiny little needles. While trying to lift herself up, Shadow came into the bedroom. He watched her shakily attempt to get up and groaning from the effort. Then Shadow squeezed his hand into a tight fist and Amy let out a cry and toppled back onto the bed.

'_Wha...what the hell is he doing to me?!_' the young flower cried in her mind.

Then Amy felt a weight on the bed. It was Shadow sitting down beside her and putting hand back on her neck to keep her down.

"Before you give yourself a stroke, little flower..." he murmured harshly. "...I'll have you know that those bands on your person bind you to me. Should you misbehave, you _will_ be reprimanded."

Amy's face went pale. She knew something was terribly fishy about those wrist bands. But how the hell was he controlling them if he was? Amy certainly didn't see him wielding a controller or anything of the sort. Plus, she didn't have to ask the midnight monarch how he was able to find her. At least not anymore. Since these bloody things were obviously electronic. Shadow must have located her with a signal or something.

"And for that little stunt you pulled today, you're going be punished for it." the crimson-splashed male hissed.

Amy let out a whimper and attempted to move away from him. But any movement that was made was suppressed by the leather bands. Something that made Amy feel extremely frustrated. So frustrated, that she wanted to just beat the hell out of Shadow.

"But for now, I think I'll let you lie here and think about where your loyalties are now." Shadow continued.

Amy put on an annoyed and angry expression on her face.

"...scuh...screw...y-you!" she rasped.

Shadow frowned and in a fit of anger, he grabbed her neck and slammed her against the wall. Amy let out a startled cry and because she was still numb, she couldn't use her hands to loosen his grip on her.

"I'm growing _very_ impatient with your stubbornness." Shadow growled as he squeezed her throat. "If you continue with this, you're going to make me very angry."

At first, Amy felt scared at the prospect of him choking the air out of her, but if he could just strangle her here and now, then she would be free of him.

"...juh...just..kill me...already..." she gasped.

The sakura hedgehog didn't even put up a fight with him. And it only made Shadow angrier. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. He threw her onto the floor with her gasping and coughing for air. By now, Amy was visibly trembling. She didn't know how much more she could take of Shadow's violent side. Suddenly, she was scooped up again and tossed back onto the bed. Before the cherry-pink female had time to register what was happening, Shadow started tearing off her clothes. Panic swelled up in her like water to a sponge.

"..wuh...wait!" she squeaked.

_'Not again! Not again!'_

But Shadow wasn't going to grant her any mercy. She deserved to be punished for her disobedience.

XXXXXXX

That night, Shadow watched Amy like a hawk. While he was conducting business from an office area, Amy was curled up on the bed and buried deep in the blankets. She was still nude from being violate a second time by her captor. The young flower still couldn't fathom the thought that he was actually serious with what he wanted with her. What was worse was that there was only so much she could endure from him. Amy was barely there a week and already she felt the emotional and psychological strains. Shadow was treating her like a piece of property and not a person with feelings. What kind of a monster was he?

Then, the midnight clad monarch decided to go and check on Amy. He narrowed his blood-red orbs when he found her silently curled into a ball. Shadow dimmed the lights and crawled into bed with her. Amy made a slight jump as she felt his weight on her own. She tried moving away from him but he wrapped an arm around her waist and forced her out of her ball.

"...g-get away from me..." she whimpered. "...I...hate you..."

Her pleas fell on deaf ears yet again as Shadow pulled her into his form. He started nuzzling her quills and nipped at her fur. He already told her that all she had to do was behave for him and he would treat her nicely. When it was clear that he wasn't going to leave her be, Amy started weakly punching at him. Tears started leaking out of her emerald orbs.

"Leave m-me a-alone!" she cried.

Shadow merely took ahold of her hands and pinned them down. When Amy started kicking him, he wrapped his legs around hers. Then he began where he left off. Amy let out another cry and continued to struggle as hard as she could before having to stop out of exhaustion. Like a fly entrapped in a spider web. It wasn't really fear that gripped her heart, it was more like frustration. Her cousin Rob'O taught her to be brave no matter what and fight like she meant it. Plus, this attack on her was different and it robbed her of not just her dignity, but also her sense of security. Shadow continued grooming Amy's fur and quills while she remained still as stone. Tears kept strolling down her muzzle as he did so. Never in her whole life had Amy Rose felt such hate for one person. She never even hated Eggman that much.

'_I swear, I'll get out of here._' she thought. '_I'll get out of here even if it kills me._'

XXXXXXX

The very next day was different. Different, because it was suddenly the start of a routine. Amy was very sound asleep even though it was 10 o'clock in the morning. The night before did not give her any peace and deprived her of rest. After conducting some more business and sending coded messages to his legions from across the globe from his office area, Shadow came into the bedroom with a burgundy towel in his hand.

"Rose?" he called out.

No answer. Shadow emitted a sigh and walked towards the bed. Then he uncovered the sleeping sakura hedgehog and scooped her up in his arms after covering her with the towel. Being suddenly lifted into the air stirred her awake.

"Mrmmm, what's going on?" Amy muttered.

"I'm going to give you a bath." Shadow flatly told her.

That statement caused Amy to be fully awake and widen her jade eyes.

"..._what_?"


	10. Chapter 9

=Chapter 9=

When Shadow told Amy that he was going to give her a bath, she instantly started to fight in his arms. Shadow just held her tightly as he proceeded to the bathroom.

"Cease your fidgeting." he demanded.

"N-no!" Amy cried. "Put me down!"

The ebony hedgehog simply ignored her and continued into the water closet. He plopped Amy onto the toilet as she tightened a towel that Shadow had brought around herself. When he turned the water on in the futuristic looking shower stall, Amy tried to run away. But the crimson-splashed male had previously locked the door and easily caught her. Amy frantically kicked and struggled to get away from him.

"Let go!" she exclaimed. "I'm NOT doing this!"

"Yes you are." Shadow simply replied.

He yanked her off her feet and dragged the young flower right into the stall. Amy modestly tried covering herself as her face went red. Since Shadow, was blocking the shower stall door, there was no way for her to get out. As soon as Amy started squirming around, the midnight monarch activated the bands to slightly subdue her. Amy's form suddenly became heavy with the hot water spraying onto her. She wasn't limp enough to lose her balance, but it did allow Shadow to hold her still. The sakura hedgehog shuddered uncomfortably as he bathed her from head to toe. Amy didn't know how worse this could get.

xxxxxxx

15 minutes later, she was back curled into a ball in the bedroom. Shadow was surveying some kind of project from his computer area. Exactly what kind of project it was, Amy didn't know or care. Right now, she didn't care much about anything aside from contemplating escape. That and Amy wanted to stay clear of Shadow. After the shower, he forced her to wear a prisoner's outfit. It was simple grey dress with a belt and buckle-like collar, a zipper that went from the collar to the hem, and a black with silver clicking clasps. Although Amy found it degrading and stiffly uncomfortable, it was the only thing that Shadow had available at the moment. He couldn't use any of Sally's attire that was still there, because they wouldn't be able to fit Amy's slim form.

Another hour passed and Shadow's mind started to shift from the project displayed on his computer screen to the cherry-pink female. If he recalled correctly, he hadn't fed her since he brought her there. Not like Amy noticed anyway. She was focused more on escaping than eating. Shadow took it upon himself to order some food to the apartment. It was a sandwich and some fruit. However, when he brought it to Amy, she was evermore less than willing.

"Rose?" the ebony hedgehog called out. "I have some food for you."

"...I'm not hungry." Amy answered bluntly.

"You need to eat, Rose. You haven't had any sustenance in the past two days."

"I don't care, I'm not eating."

Shadow made a frown. Surely it was apparent that she intended to starve herself. At least in his mind she was. He set the plate down on table stand and went over to the bed where Amy was all curled up. Shadow yanked her up to her up to her feet and slammed her into the wall.

"Ngh! What the hell?!" the young flower cried out.

Shadow again ignored her and pinned the upset Amy to the wall. Then he took a bite from the sandwich sitting on the plate on the table stand and forced it right into Amy's mouth. Realizing what he was making her do now, Amy tried turning her head away but he held it in place. She tried squirming away, but that didn't work either, because Shadow instantly activated those damn bands again. Those things were turning out to be a total nightmare for Amy. Finally, she slumped in Shadow's arms in defeat. When the portion of food that was in Shadow's mouth went down her throat, Amy started coughing and gagging. Shadow release her a bit to allow her to clear her throat.

Amy felt quite shaken after that. Now she really didn't feel like eating. The sakura hedgehog felt sick. Really sick. But Shadow was quite insistent that she eat. Whether she wanted to or not. He took another bite out of the sandwich and was about to give it to her.

"No..wait..." she whimpered. "I'll do it..."

Shadow arched a brow at her and a few long seconds later, he released her from the wall. He watched as she-very reluctantly-took the food and started eating on her own, although in very small bites. A slight grin appeared on his dark tan muzzle. It would appear that Amy was finally starting to break under him, however that alone would not convince him that she was truly under his fist.

XXXXXXX

A week later, Shadow foiled Amy again in another suicide attempt. She tied throwing herself out of an open window, and the crimson-splashed male saved her from instant death at the last minute by using his Chaos Control powers. He then reprimanded Amy by giving her a little bit of a beating. After that he kept her under constant watch, not trusting her to be by herself. But soon, he was able to find some relief. The project which he had started before, was completed on schedule.

Shadow followed a few of his guards onto the 25th floor of the castle. It was a very lonely hall with only a few rooms-including a large bathroom-that would largely be used by the king and queen. But the one room of interest, was just down the hall. The door looked as if it was embedded into the wall like a puzzle piece.

"The electronic pad as you requested, your majesty, only responds to your credentials." the guard explained.

Shadow placed his hand on the red laser scan pad, and it turned green when it recognized him. The door opened with a sound of locks clicking open, and suddenly the two were confronted with a large white and grey room. The walls and ceiling were completely covered in soft cushions and the carpet below their feet was so thick that it was almost plush. The ceiling, was at least 20 feet high and bearing the only window in the room. The sky light was fitted with double-plated, 2 inch thick, and bullet-proof glass. In between them were two 1 and a half foot long LED lights. And, as the guard pointed out, there were micro cameras hidden amongst the cushions on the walls.

As Shadow looked at the room around him, a sense of satisfaction came across his features. The last thing he took note of, was a mattress with a single pillow and blanket sitting on the corner to his left.

"Is everything to your satisfaction, my king?" the guard asked politely.

The midnight clad monarch took one last look of the room before answering.

"We shall see."

xxxxxxx

Amy was sitting in the bedroom of the Master Apartment, curled back up in a ball again. She was nearly at a loss. No matter how hard the cherry-pink female had tried, she just could not get out of that...that hell hole. Heck, she couldn't escape from life itself, much less anything else. Maybe it would be better if she just submitted to Shadow.

'_No...I can't. I can't do it. I won't. I HAVE to get out of here. I don't wanna be his...his toy..._'

Amy let a very heavy sigh and curled tighter into her ball. Then her ear twitched to the sound of a door opening. She didn't even bother to go and look to see who it was. She already knew.

"Rose?"

Amy didn't answer him. She merely closed her eyes and began rocking herself.

'_Go away, go away, go away..._'

Shadow then came into the room and found her there. Amy could actually feel him frowning on her.

"When I call you, I expect you to come to me." he hissed in a directive tone.

Amy didn't answer him. She refused to. Of course this made Shadow mad, causing him to grab ahold of her quills and yank her up. Poor Amy let out a cry and tried to pry his hands off her.

"Luh-let go!" she shrieked.

"Not until you start being more obedient to me." Shadow barked.

"Never!"

The young flower tried to punch him, but the ebony hedgehog caught her fist easily and smacked her across the face, making her fall to the floor. However, Amy was greatly undeterred. If Shadow wanted a fight, he sure as hell was going to get one! She attempted to kick his legs in order to trip him. Shadow quickly caught on, and kangaroo leaped backwards, avoiding her blow. Amy scrambled to her feet and tried to flee from him. As before however, he speedily caught up to her and threw her violently to the floor.

"You dare attack your King and Master?!" he angrily hissed.

"You're not a king!" Amy screamed. "YOU'RE A GOD DAMNED TYRANT!"

Before she had a chance to even get up again, Shadow pinned her roughly to the floor. Amy squinted as she felt the sheer pressure he was putting on her. It hurt. Still, she fought like hell.

"G-get off me!" she cried out.

"You know the rules." Shadow told her unsympathetically.

Amy let out a pained whine and tried struggling some more. Finally, she gave in and laid still under him. Her jade eyes started to well up with tears. The sakura hedgehog felt so frustrated and hurt. Dear Rob'O must've done _something_ to piss off Shadow. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't even be bothering with her right now.

As soon as Shadow was certain that Amy wouldn't give him anymore trouble-at least for now-he lifted her back to her feet.

"Now then, I need you to come with me." he said.

"To where?" Amy asked.

"I'll have no questions asked."

Amy got flabbergasted.

"Whaddya mean _no questions asked_?!" she cried.

Then midnight clad monarch turned and roughly grabbed one of her quills.

"I said no question." he said lowly. "Do remember that, Rose."

The cherry-pink female suppressed a growl and resisted the urge to try punching him again. They both left the room with Shadow yanking her along. She was kind of surprised that he was actually taking her out of the room for once. But their destination was what made Amy anxious. They went down the hall and into the elevator. There was silence between them and that just drove Amy nuts. The elevator came to a stop and opened its doors. From the looks of it, Amy was sure that it wasn't the ground floor or anywhere near it. Shadow herded her out into the hall and continued to lead her to wherever they were going. Now this was really starting to drive Amy crazy. Just where the hell were they going anyway?!

Finally, they came to a corner where Amy saw an odd locking door. Already her guts were screaming at her that this had bad written all over it. She wasn't sure if she should try and run away or just stay put for now. Shadow opened the door after placing his hand on the pad, then he turned to the confused young flower.

"In." he told her.

Amy bit her lip and obeyed. Her conscious told her not to do it, but Shadow would just probably throw her inside anyway. After taking one step in however, she froze. That's when everything came together and hit her.

This room was to be her cell she realized.

Before she could physically react however, the ebony hedgehog behind her shoved Amy inside with such force that she toppled to the floor. Shadow then instantly shut the door before she had a chance to get up. Regaining her senses, Amy scrambled to her feet and rushed towards the door, attempting to get it open. But it was sealed shut and there was no other way of getting out.

'_Ngh! Son of a bitch!_' Amy mentally cursed.

She tried once more to get that fiendish door open for the love of God, but the stupid thing wasn't even budging.

"Come on, dammit!" Amy cried.

Finally, she gave up. That door was NOT going to open at all. Being in that padded cell just 2 minutes was already driving her mad. In a fit of rage, she started screaming and punching the hell out of the pad covered door. Until her bands gave her a shock. With no other alternatives, Amy slowly went to the far corner of the room and sat with her face buried in her knees.


	11. Chapter 10

=Chapter 10=

Shadow watched Amy from her new cell on a small monitor-like pad in his throne room. She was presently sitting in the corner and in a crouched position. The sakura hedgehog had been that way for over an hour. Perhaps this would finally make her understand and see that she wasn't going anywhere and she belonged exclusively to him.

Meanwhile, the conditions of his dominion had been considerably quiet. Save for one minor disturbance. The situation in Downunda had mostly been unchanged. A rebellion that took root was starting to grow and grow. One thing that slightly impressed Shadow was the fact that these vermin had quite thoroughly kept their meetings and bases well hidden. They were smart enough to be careful with their conduct. The fact which really frustrated Shadow to no end was that they were getting increasingly hard to find.

As he sat pondering in his throne room, a Dark Presence legionnaire that he had summoned walked in.

"You asked for assistance, sire?" the guard said after bowing and saluting to his king.

"Yes. I want an update of the Downunda affair." Shadow replied.

"The situation remains unchanged, your majesty."

The ebony hedgehog emitted a low growl.

"Let us try another alternative then." he murmured. "Send strict loyalists to act as undercover agents to learn what they can about these rebellions and report back to me personally. And they have to be more than 100 percent on their information. Is that quite understood?"

"Very, my lord."

"Good. That will be all."

XXXXXXX

Hours later, in what seemed to be like a freaking eternity, the sun was slowly setting in the Mainland Mountains south eastward. The colors that were created by nature varied in oranges, golds, and bright yellows. A golden sun beam flowed right into the skylight of Amy's cell. Apart from that, the rest of the room was darkened.

Amy was still in the corner and hadn't moved over 2 inches since the king had forced her into the room.

Being in that padded cell and sitting in total silence was starting to get to her. It was like being in a void. Amy missed her family in Mercia sorely. She wondered what little Jon was doing right now. How his infant sister was. That very thought brought fresh tears to her eyes. The whole point of her being in native home to begin with, was to help her cousin-in-law with the new one. Amy hugged herself and brought her knees closer to her chest.

'_I wanna go home._' she thought sadly. '_I wanna go home..._'

Suddenly, her ears twitched to a clicking noise, making her head pop up a little. A familiar shade came into the room, which caused the cherry-pink female to shrink further into the wall.

It was Shadow alright. Amy didn't even need to look up to know or see if it was him. The more he moved in, the further Amy pushed herself into the wall. When Shadow continued to advance on her, she shot up like a weed.

"Get the hell away from me!" she shrieked at him with tears now running down her face.

Shadow arched a brow at her.

"You are not in a position to give me orders." he told her icily.

"I don't give a crap!" Amy screamed. "I don't want you anywhere near me!"

Shadow stood silently as she let out her rant and then continued advancing on her. Amy then jerked sideways away from the ebony hedgehog and towards the other side of the room. Shadow merely followed her movements. If she wanted to play the running game, then by all means.

Amy kept trying to distance herself away from Shadow, but since she was virtually trapped in that room, she wouldn't be able to avoid him for long. Finally, when Amy attempted to scamper from him again, Shadow was able to snatch her arm and slam her against the cushioned wall. The young flower let out a cry as he pinned her there just seconds later. Amy struggled violently to get out of his hold, while he applied more and more pressure. Like a boa constrictor suffocating its prey. Then Amy let out another cry of defeat and slumped against the cushioned wall. She was already tired from fighting and struggling, for the air was sucked out of her lungs. Once Shadow saw that she had given up, he began to crowd her into the wall and nuzzle her neck. But as soon as the crimson-splashed male started, Amy started to fight again.

"L-let me go!" she rasped. "L-leave me a-alone!"

Shadow simply ignored her and activated the bands on her wrists. Amy quickly felt the numbing effects of the leather bonds and in her exhausted state, she couldn't put up much of a resistance against them or him. The midnight clad monarch pulled her into a lip lock and Amy let out a muffled whimper. Then he scooped her up and carried her to the unused mattress that was intended for a bed. Poor Amy started silently sobbing again as Shadow proceeded to violate her again.

XXXXXXX

The night was just as agonizingly long as the day that came before it. Amy laid awake, staring at the ceiling with a dead pan expression and a thin trail of tears leaking out of her eyes.

The sakura hedgehog kept going back and forth between how this could possibly happen. To her of all people. She was a good person, she kept out of trouble, she obeyed all the rules of her household, even though there were times where she had to stretch them a bit in order to do the right thing. What did Amy do to deserve this? What the hell did she do? What the hell did Rob'O do? Was Shadow just doing this to get back at him for something?

And no matter how hard Amy tried, she couldn't convince Shadow to release her, or escape on her own. The frustration, humiliation, pain, and fear, was starting to drive the cherry-pink female to the brink of insanity. Not once did she consider fully submitting to him. That was out of the question. Amy wanted freedom so badly she could just imagine it. She wanted to be home.

'_I wanna go home..._' she cried mentally in her mind again. '_I wanna go home!_'

With these thoughts continuously twirling around in her head without end, more fresh tears began pooling in Amy's jaded eyes. She turned her head away and started sobbing again. Shadow, who was simply in resting state-since he, as the Ultimate Lifeform, did not require sleep-felt the young flower's movements. His blood-red eyes went open and his ears twitched to the sounds of Amy's stifled cries. When he noticed her all curled up and facing away from him, he let out a sigh. The ebony hedgehog then started to curl himself around Amy's balled up form, making her jump.

"Get away, please!" she squeaked.

Shadow didn't acknowledge her and began grooming her fur. Amy's frustration and anger ran high.

"_Why?_" she cried. "Why _me_?! Why the hell did you pick me?! What the hell did I do?"

As the sakura hedgehog waited for his answer, she felt him simply ignoring every word that came out of her mouth and going away at nipping and clamping down on her fur. Irritation and frustration finally made her snap.

"ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!" she screamed.

Shadow then made a pause and then rose to her face.

"If you're implying that you're receiving punishment for a crime, then you're sorely mistaken, my dear." he told her. "I sought you out of my own will. You are just being needlessly stubborn."

'_Needlessly stubborn?!_' Amy cried mentally. '_YOU'RE GOD DAMN RIGHT!_'

Shadow resumed his grooming of her soft fur. While Amy got lost in her thoughts, he started touching her in her erogenous zones, making the cherry-pink female jump and make uncomfortable faces.

"Wha...what the fuck do you think you're doing?!" she squeaked.

"Just relax." Shadow murmured.

"No! Stop it!"

Amy tried to pry his hands off her, but Shadow easily pinned her down. Then she tried using her body to get him off. The crimson-splashed male already anticipated this and just used his own bodyweight to subdue her. Amy growled at him, making Shadow annoyed at her.

"Cease this foolishness, Rose." he hissed at her.

"Get the fuck off me!" Amy hissed back.

That's when Shadow activated the bands and the young flower fell limp. Amy let out a whimper from the bands' electrical jabs and numbing effects.

'_Rrggg...son of a bitch!_'

XXXXXXX

A few hours later, Amy was left alone in her cell again. Shadow had given her a shower and then went about his business. Just when Amy was going into despair, a new bout of resistance was born.

She felt more and more compelled than ever to escape from Shadow's clutches. From her current position, the only way of getting out of that cell and Angel Island, was to seize an opportunity to flee whenever it presented itself. It would be a very long wait and risky, no doubt about that. But it was totally worth it.

'_I'll do whatever it takes to get the hell out of here._' she thought. '_I don't care if he beats me or whatever. I want out of her. Dead or alive._'

Amy looked up into the skylight, with her jade eyes sparkling with determination.

xxxxxxx

Amy fell asleep, propped up against the wall. 30 minutes ago, Shadow had come to give her lunch. Except this time, her food tasted...weird.

Something just felt off. Amy looked to Shadow for answers, but he just looked as if nothing was wrong and told her to continue eating. After taking a few more bites, Amy simply could not finish, leaving behind less than half eaten food. But Shadow wasn't going to let that one go and ordered her to eat the rest of it, or else he would force her like last time. Very reluctantly, the sakura hedgehog obeyed, even though the food tasted absolutely horrendous and almost made her gag.

So here Amy sat against the wall, to sleep off her gut ache. And that was just one of the odd things going on lately.

The week before, Shadow had supervised a random visit to the Infirmary. Amy didn't feel sick at all, so she was at a loss as to what the heck prompted him to do that. Perhaps it just a check-up because all the nurses did was make sure she was 100 percent healthy.

Maybe both she and Shadow were both getting paranoid.

* * *

**AN: The end is NIGH... :O**


	12. Chapter 11

=Chapter 11=

-3 Months Later-

Shadow was in his Throne Room, when Lien-Da came to see him. The black leather clad echidna had been away for quite some time on an assignment.

"Good afternoon, your majesty." she greeted.

"Lien-Da." Shadow greeted back. "I trust that your mission was successful?"

"It was. My forces located Rotor and Cobor and took them into custody."

"Excellent. Unfortunately, I'll have to interrogate them some other time. I have other affairs to attend to first."

Then the ebony hedgehog slid her a file containing all the information on the Downunda Resistance.

"A rebellion?" Lien-Da inquired after reading through the file.

"Indeed." Shadow replied. "I hope you don't mind taking another trip to boost the Dark Presence factor."

A devious grin appeared on the female echidna's muzzle.

"Not at all, my king." she said smoothly.

"Very good." Shadow replied.

XXXXXXX

Amy was fast asleep in her cell blissfully dreaming of her Mercian home and family. Dreaming was the only escape that allowed her some peace away from the hell she was in when it wasn't nightmares.

Unfortunately, that tranquility was abruptly disturbed when the cell door clicked open. The electronic sounds alone were not enough to awaken the sakura hedgehog and Shadow's darkened shade fell on her slumbering form. For once, his hardened features softened at the sight of her being sound asleep. He knelt down and gently shook Amy's shoulder to get her to awaken.

Amy emitted a light moan and batted her jade eyes open. When she saw who was shaking her, her ears folded backwards and she frowned.

"What do you want now?" Amy questioned.

Shadow then captured her in a lip lock to which Amy grimaced. She didn't put up much of a fight these days. It would be pointless after all. Plus, Amy figured if she 'behaved', Shadow might let her out of that dingy all. The midnight clad monarch surprisingly not meeting any resistance on her part, proceeded to pull Amy into his arms and deepen his embrace. The cherry-pink female mentally cursed him and wished she could just punch him already. Then he suddenly stopped and lifted her to her feet.

"Come, my pet." he murmured.

Amy didn't say a thing, but in her mind she was revolting from Shadow's statement. Something that he had picked up in the passing months was calling her his 'pet'. It felt absolutely degrading and it made her want to throw up.

Shadow led her down the hall and down a few floor. Then they went into the Infirmary.

'_Again?!_' Amy thought. '_Didn't I just get a freaking check-up?_'

"Shadow, why are we here again?" she asked softly aloud.

"Hush, my pet." he told her.

Amy suppressed a growl. That was another thing she hated. The crimson-splashed male never told her anything and never explained the things such as these he did.

'_Okay, this is just getting freaking ridiculous._'

Shadow pulled her into the Infirmary and to her surprise, it was quite busy. Unbeknownst to her, there was a dangerous plasma spill south of the city and the Palace Infirmary had to take in some of the injured because all the other hospitals and clinics on Portal were filled to the brim. The Head Nurse came out to greet the king.

"Good afternoon, your majesty." she curtsied as Amy rolled her eyes.

"Do you still have a position available?" Shadow asked.

"Of course, sire."

"Good."

Two other Infirmary attendants came over to relieve Shadow of Amy but not before he gave her the evil eye mentally telling her to not try anything to which she ignored. Then a little surprised, she looked back as he left the area leaving her by herself. An opportunity was calling her, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to get away with so much people around. It probably wasn't worth the risk.

'_Just be patient._' Amy told herself.

XXXXXXX

The king was back in his Throne Room surveying the damage reports from the plasma spill. A great deal of the southern area of the city had to be sealed off and quarantined, so that the civilians wouldn't be affected by the toxic material and polluted air. The extensive clean-up had already begun, and no one was allowed into that area without protective gear.

Right now, Shadow wanted to find out how this disaster happened to begin with and to his frustration, none of the reports seemed to tell him that. A few moments later, a Dark Presence guard came in with a dossier.

"Your majesty." he began. "I have the final report on the spill."

"Was a cause determined?" the ebony hedgehog asked.

"It was difficult, but yes. One of the units holding the material ruptured due to overheating."

Shadow arched a brow.

"Who was in charge of the environmental controls?" he asked.

"We're unsure, but I don't doubt that he'll be on the casualty list." the guard replied.

Shadow went into a moment of thought.

"I see. That will be all, Corporal." he said.

The guard gave him a salute and then left. Shadow then got out of his desk and went over to one of the large windows. It seemed to be one disruption after another. First the building rebellion in Downunda, and now this.

What else could happen?

XXXXXXX

"Go ahead and sit there, miss. I'll be right with you in a moment."

The Head Nurse directed Amy towards an empty room and Amy sat down on the examination table. The room as well as the entire area, was very cold. The young flower couldn't understand why all hospitals or clinics _had_ to be at sub-zero temperatures. While she was waiting, there was total chaos outside. There were nurses, doctors, and physicians rushing about and shouting. Amy was starting to wonder just on earth was going on.

'_Boy, those guys sure have a lot going on._' she thought.

Then suddenly, the code blue alarm went off, quickly catching Amy's attention. Out of curiosity, she peered out of her room to see what was happening. Nearly all of the staff was rushing to an ER room way down the hall. With most of the staff away from her position, Amy spotted an unused Dark Presence legionnaire robe. It was completely clean and didn't have any toxic material stained onto it.

Another opportunity to escape had sprung up. With most of the staff distracted, Amy could slip away unnoticed, disguised as a legionnaire. Looking down the hall and then back at the robe, the sakura hedgehog finally made up her mind to take the plunge. Making absolute certainty that nobody was watching, she snatched the robe and took it into the room and slipped it on. Amy secretly prayed that there weren't any hidden cameras around, spying on her. With a deep breath, she went outside her room clad in the Dark Presence robe. Much of the staff were still preoccupied with whatever hullabaloo was going down the hall, and with Amy in disguise, no one noticed her slip away. Once outside the infirmary, Amy continued on her way. She kept her head down so nobody would recognize her and only raised it to see what was ahead of her.

'_I must be insane._' she thought.

The cherry-pink female came to an elevator which she made to take her to the ground floor. Unsurprisingly, it was crawling with guards which made Amy nervous. She stood amongst the other legionnaires, listening to their chatter. Then, she caught one higher ranking guard giving a lower ranking one to take an item to the side yard of the castle. Amy decided to follow him so she could get out of there.

xxxxxxx

Meanwhile, back at the Infirmary, the Head Nurse decided to check on Amy. When she discovered that the young flower was missing, her face went pale.

'_Oh dear..._'

xxxxxxx

Amy continued to follow the guard, making sure that she remained inconspicuous. They both came into a warehouse-like area that seemed to be a huge storage unit. The guard made a stop and went around a corner towards the inventory. Before disappointment fell on her, Amy noticed an open door to her right. Quickly, she went outside it before the guard noticed her. Again she could breathe the fresh air of the outside world. Fortunately to her luck, Amy seemed to blend in with the other legionnaires.

She passed right by them and through the gates of the castle walls. Once again, she was scott-free. But then Amy remembered that the bands on her wrists had homing devices. It wouldn't take long for Shadow to discover that she was missing.

So Amy had to move and move fast. Time was her enemy at this point. After successfully navigating out of the castle ground, the young flower went straight for the allies of Portal. There, she abandoned the Dark Presence robe and went wandering around. One thing she noticed, was that the allies were much darker than last time. The sun was starting to go down and in a matter of minutes it would set and the only thing that would guide Amy through would be the lights of the skyscrapers.

She couldn't make any stops either, she had to be constantly one the move. If she stayed in one place for too long, it would be very easy for Shadow to capture her that way. Amy made a mental note to find some kind of specialist to get those cursed bands off her. The loud noises from the air traffic and civilians were enough to make the sakura hedgehog feel more unnerved. But she couldn't let that detour her. This could just as well be her last chance to flee Angel Island, because if she got caught this time, Amy might not ever get another chance. Or if she did, it would be very difficult to get past Shadow, let alone the palace's security.

Once more unto the breach, Amy disappeared into the vast metropolis of Portal. Wandering about like a silent and lost ghost.


	13. Epilogue

=Epilogue=

In that late afternoon, Shadow was in another meeting with another one if his Dark Presence legionnaires.

"We've found a small rebellion building in the Knothole province, sire." the legionnaire said.

Shadow heaved a heavy sigh. That was second rebellion thus far, but at least it was small. Why these people had to go against him was beyond all rational thought. He wondered if Sally had anything to do with this.

"I see." Shadow said. "Send an army down there to keep the villagers in line."

The legionnaire nervously nodded, but didn't leave. He stayed right where he stood, trying to decide whether give the king the last note. Shadow immediately noticed this and knew something was up. He also mentally sighed because this legionnaire was obviously a new recruit.

"Did something ELSE happen?" he asked impatiently.

"W-well..." the legionnaire stammered. "...i-it's about your um...personal servant...sire..."

Shadow's blood red eyes narrowed in rage.

"She's escaped again...hasn't she?" he hissed.

"Y-yes...sire..."

Shadow growled. First another rebellion, and now this. Right now he felt like punching or destroying something...or someone. Like perhaps the legionnaire standing before him. But there were even more pressing matters to deal with.

"Very well. Send the Black Arms after her." Shadow ordered. "But I want her UNHARMED. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes, sire. Very clear." the legionnaire replied.

And with that, he scampered away to carry out his orders. Shadow continued to stare out the window he stood in front of. His dark reflection blending perfectly over the city of Portal.

XXXXXXX

_Mobius. 25 years later._

_Shadow has become the iron-fisted ruler of all Mobius. During his brutal reign, he sent away his 'wife' Sally Acorn to the other side of the kingdom to make sure the populace stays in line. Meanwhile, the crimson-splashed hedgehog had set his sights on conquering the kingdom of Mercia. As he succeeded, he took only one prisoner with him back to his capital on Angel Island._

_Her name..._

_Amy Rose._

=FINIS=

* * *

**AN: Aaaaand dat's the end folks! If you recall, this chap is deviated from the prologue and half of chapter 1 from Book I ;) Anyway I do hope y'all enjoyed this and I'll catch you guys on da flip side! :)**

=FINIS=


End file.
